Ever since Indonesia accelerated plans last year to achieve carbon neutrality, a parade of climate envoys from developed nations has headed to the archipelago — offering assistance and financial aid in exchange for a commitment by the world’s biggest exporter of coal by weight to phase out coal power.
Officials from the U.S. and Europe hope to secure a deal by the time Indonesia hosts G20 leaders in Bali in November, establishing a major milestone in the global effort to cut emissions and providing an impetus for the United Nations’ COP27 climate summit in Egypt the same month.
It’s an ambitious goal. Coal generates about 60% of Indonesia’s electricity, and the fossil fuel has made fortunes for some of the nation’s most powerful business elites.