The Impact of Nickel Mining on Halmahera Island

Photographer

Mas Agung Wilis Yudha Baskoro

for China Global South Project

12 August, 2024

Workers ride towards a nickel smelting and processing plant, amid heavy rains that continued for two days, causing flooding. Weda, Halmahera, Indonesia.

Nickel mining in Indonesia has ramped up in the past decade, and Weda Bay now accounts for 17% of global production of a metal essential for electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy storage. Research indicates that deforestation from mining leads to longer and more frequent flooding. Air pollution from nickel smelting and coal-based energy production has also surged, with one local health center recording a 25-fold increase in respiratory diseases between 2020 and 2023.

Are you a photographer and/or passionate about press freedom? Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on our annual contest and to hear about exhibitions near you.

Jury comment

This image captures the impact of foreign industry and mining operations on the local community, pulling together complex issues like the exploitation of raw materials, pollution of the environment, and the influence of corporate power, into a single frame. The strong foreground emphasizes the intertwined social and environmental cycle and trap of industrialization, whereby local communities become dependent on industrial jobs that are simultaneously leading to the ruination of the environment. Direct eye contact from the workers in the frame further draws the viewer into the story, underscoring the human toll of these issues.

The Impact of Nickel Mining on Halmahera Island

Workers ride towards a nickel smelting and processing plant, amid heavy rains that continued for two days, causing flooding. Weda, Halmahera, Indonesia.

Jury comment

No More Monkey Mania in Thai Town