Indonesia is now the world’s largest nickel producer, with 15 per cent of the globe’s lateritic nickel resources – typically low-grade deposits found near the surface.

 Pictured: Indonesias net zero nickel boom fuels destruction of rainforests and coral reefs

Swathes of rainforest and coastal communities are being destroyed by a nickel mining boom in Indonesia sparked by the race to transition away from fossil fuels.

Across the country, a major drive to exploit the country’s abundant natural resources is underway. These photographs capture the sheer scale of the production process.

Rows of chimneys, belching smoke and fumes, tower over the schools and houses of what were once rural communities in scenes recalling the work of L.S. Lowry, whose paintings captured life in the industrial districts of North West England in the mid-20th century.

Indonesia is now the world’s largest nickel producer, with 15 per cent of the globe’s lateritic nickel resources – typically low-grade deposits found near the surface.

But demand is still soaring in tandem with the rise of the electric vehicles (EVs), which depend on it for their batteries.