FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2026
Coal phaseout should follow Sumatra mining and plantation permit revocation
350.org Indonesia today said that while the revocation of permits by 28 mining and plantation companies accountable for the deadly Sumatra floods is a “positive step,” the Prabowo administration should go further to prevent future climate disasters by addressing its root cause: fossil fuel emissions. The climate group renewed its calls for a coal phaseout, as a new report finds that Indonesia is responsible for more than half of projected coal demand increase in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia–the world’s largest coal exporter and the region’s biggest carbon emitter–has reneged on an earlier promise by President Prabowo to phase out coal by 2040. Last year, the government submitted a national climate plan insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global heating to 1.5°C, and is reportedly considering re-opening the door for future construction of new coal plants.
“The Sumatra disaster should push the Prabowo administration to take a long, hard look into the inadequacy of its climate commitments. Only a long-term climate mitigation pathway–or the phaseout of fossil fuels–can truly protect the Indonesian people from the worst climate impacts. This can begin with phasing out coal, immediately and as promised,” Sisilia Nurmala Dewi, 350.org Indonesia Country Manager said.
350.org Indonesia pointed out that the Just Energy Transition Partnership, wherein developed countries pledged USD 20 billion for Indonesia to transition away from fossil fuels, has been found sorely lacking. Only a small portion of the pledged funds have been approved and disbursed, with bureaucratic processes and negotiations slowing things down.
“The government uses energy security as an argument to continue coal. But true energy security lies in renewables. Globally, renewable electricity is now 30–50 per cent cheaper than new fossil fuel generation. Public money should be spent on subsidizing affordable, clean renewable energy instead of costly, toxic energy from coal. The rest of the world is phasing out coal–why not Indonesia, if it claims to be a global changemaker? Justice demands that a tragedy like we’ve seen in Sumatra doesn’t happen again. Without a genuine move to phase out coal, the government will remain complicit and accountable for climate tragedies.” Dewi added.