On the coast of Morowali Regency, in the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi, formerly clear coastal waters have turned a reddish-brown colour, thriving fisheries have declined, and many islanders’ health has deteriorated.
Whilst scholars have praised Indonesia’s growing nickel industry as successful economic upgrading by shifting to higher value activities in the nickel supply chain they have overlooked the socio-economic impacts in areas like Morowali.
With global nickel demand set to rise by an additional 19 times by 2040, mainly due to nickel’s use in renewable energy technologies, the uneven impacts of its production must be considered.
To analyse the widening uneven development outcomes caused by the growing Indonesian nickel supply chain, James addresses the question: How has the inclusion and upgrading of some actors in the Indonesian nickel supply chain coincided with the exclusion and marginalisation of other actors?