A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Indonesia Considers Paris Agreement Exit Following US Withdrawal (Mongabay)

The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement has led other countries to reconsider their commitments to the international environmental treaty. In Indonesia, for instance, top officials have questioned whether developing countries should be expected to comply with the agreement as major polluters (including the US) opt out.

Last November, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto made an ambitious pledge to retire all of the country’s coal and other fossil-fuel-powered plants in the next 15 years at the G20 summit in Brazil—and called upon wealthier developed nations to help fund the transition to renewable energy sources. Currently, 66% of the country’s electricity is generated by coal, and Indonesia is also the world’s largest coal exporter. The country

Indonesia also signed an energy partnership in 2022 in which the US and other nations agreed to devote $20 billion to aid a transition, though the government has complained that slow disbursement of this sum has hindered progress. Withdrawal from the climate agreements could further slow clean energy projects across the country.

READ | Indonesia’s Energy Transition Must Not Just Be More of the Same

Scientists Find Alarming Rise in Microplastic Contamination in Human Brains (The Guardian)

Microplastics have been found at the summit of Mount Everest and the depths of the Mariana Trench. Now, they are increasingly being found in the human body— a development that is alarming scientists about the potential health effects of microplastic contamination.

Nanoscale shards and flakes of plastics can pass through the blood-brain barrier and embed themselves permanently in tissue. Over the past 8 years, scientists have identified a 50% increase in levels of brain tissue microplastics. The most common type found was polyethylene, which is commonly used in food packaging and plastic bags.

Scientists say continued research is essential to understand the potential consequences of plastics in human tissue, and particularly in the brain. Previous research has linked microplastics to a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks when they are present in found in the bloodstream. The outcomes of such studies likely will have implications for the increasing global production and use of plastics.

READ | Microplastics in Soil – Small Size Big Impact on U.S. and Chinese Agriculture

London Metal Exchange Scrutinized for Grasberg Mine Copper Trade  (The Guardian)

The Grasberg mine in Papua, Indonesia, has a notorious reputation for environmental destruction that its work creates. Now, environmental activists are questioning whether the London Metal Exchange (LME) is breaking the law by selling Grasberg copper for use in global supply chains.

For decades, the Grasberg mine has been among the most important sources of global gold and copper. Yet the mine has been extensively criticized for the waste it produces.  Researchers estimate that 200,000 tons of waste is dumped directly into the Ajkwa River delta every day.

Campaigners from the London Mining Network and the Global Legal Action Network warning the LME that trading copper from the Grasberg mine could be considered a crime under UK law. They argue that the LME has a legal duty to prevent the trade of metals linked to environmental crimes—and they are pushing for stronger enforcement of responsible sourcing standards in global metal supply chains.

READ | Conflict and Copper