New: UK politicians are calling for tough action against the British Virgin Islands for failing to share company ownership data.
If the BVI opens up its books, the real owners of the "shadow companies" destroying Indonesian rainforest could be revealed.
thegeckoproject.org/articles/rai...
“We are on the edge of a precipice. If we continue in the same way we’re going to fall into that precipice.”
A new film by the @thegeckoproject.org (coming soon) about the destruction of Bolivia's forests.
Last year, fires burned 10 million hectares.
reddmonitor.substack.com/p/bolivia-bu...
Our partners at @thegeckoproject.org released a YouTube video on our investigation into a major supplier to the electric vehicle battery industry: youtu.be/QGOPi2AmYBc?...
The company knew for over a decade that its nickel operations in Indonesia were polluting water with a carcinogenic chemical
NEW: A major supplier to the global electric vehicle battery industry knew that its Indonesian nickel operations were polluting water with a carcinogenic chemical — and didn’t disclose it.
👇Here’s a quick overview of our findings with @thegeckoproject.org , Deutsche Welle and @theguardian.com
BREAKING: A major nickel firm supplying EV battery makers—who supply car giants like Tesla, Toyota & BMW—has polluted Indonesian water sources for years with chromium-6, a toxic chemical, leaked documents reveal.
👇Read full findings
Officially, one of the best things on the internet. Dust Money, the @thegeckoproject.org / @newlinesmag.bsky.social collaboration is an honoree in multimedia storytelling in this year's Webbys.
newlinesmag.com/reportage/du...
New video:
The Indonesian government’s food estate programme aims to convert 1.6m hectares of land in Papua into rice and sugar cane plantations.
Thousands of troops have been sent to support President Prabowo’s signature policy. We've investigated their role: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjVj...
Indonesia’s Supreme Court has upheld a decision to block further expansion of the Tanah Merah oil palm project, protecting more than 65,000 ha of forest in Papua from clearance.👏
The ruling was influenced by testimonies from the Indigenous Awyu, for whom the forest is their lifeline. bit.ly/43C5HeQ
For Papuans whose land has been targeted, the soldiers' deployment has generated a climate of fear, built on a legacy of decades of state violence in Papua and impunity for the perpetrators.
An aerial view of land cleared for a food estate project in the village of Wanam.
The legal basis for deploying troops to an agricultural project is not clear. Civil society groups have described the Indonesian government's action as illegal.
We found that military battalions were attempting to ensure that the community accepted the project by distributing food and making door-to-door visits to residents' homes.
One resident said that the soldiers' presence made their village feel like a ‘war zone.’
NEW: The Indonesian government is using thousands of soldiers to force through a vast agricultural project in indigenous lands and forests in Merauke, Papua.
We investigated how this is affecting Papuans by interviewing people whose land has been targeted and analysing soldiers' TikTok posts.
Thanks to @tbij.bsky.social for highlighting our work:
"Investigative journalists work hard to follow the money...but dark money structures [make] it difficult to break through.
"That’s why the work of The Gecko Project on its shadow companies and deforestation investigation is so impressive."
New film from our recent investigation:
We travelled 2,000km through Indonesia’s nickel frontiers investigating how a green, battery-powered future is being achieved through increasingly authoritarian means.
Published with @newlinesmag.bsky.social.
When @thegeckoproject.org publishes an investigative piece—I pay attention!
(the images in this piece on the nickel rush in Sulawesi are as eloquent as the report 💔)
Devastating longread from @thegeckoproject.org & @newlinesmag.bsky.social on the landscapes & communities of Sulawesi entrained in rapacious forest-stripping, village-gobbling, sea-smothering nickel extraction, pollution from coal-fired smelters, dangerous industry conditions & social conflict
Indonesia is the beating heart of nickel production for the world’s green transition. But a groundbreaking multimedia investigation by @newlinesmag.bsky.social & @thegeckoproject.org reveals the catastrophic environmental and human toll of the lucrative industry. 🔎
newlinesmag.com/reportage/du...
The Indonesian government wants to dominate the global nickel market and insert itself into the green transition.
But we found that this new “green” economy is based on environmental destruction and emissions, as forests are cut down and coal-fired power plants are built to power the smelters.
NEW: Our 2,000km roadtrip through hidden parts of the nickel supply chain found that Indonesia's government has rewritten environmental laws, militarised the industry and criminalised opposition to mining.
Published with @newlinesmag.bsky.social
The Indonesian government wants to dominate the global nickel market and insert itself into the green transition.
But we found that this new “green” economy is based on environmental destruction and emissions, as forests are cut down and coal-fired power plants are built to power the smelters.
Listen to our conversation with @landclimate.bsky.social about our investigation (with @pulitzercenter.bsky.social's Rainforest Investigations Network) into the business interests of Indonesia's new president.
Coming soon:
Indonesia’s new president brands himself as a successful businessman, with a $130m fortune and a vast landbank.
But is he really so successful? We delved into the companies linked to him to find out.
Read our investigation with @pulitzercenter.bsky.social:
thegeckoproject.org/articles/pre...