Indonesia - December 2025

Flooding and landslides caused by a cyclone killed more than 1,000 people and destroyed over 100,000 homes in Sumatra in December. Indonesian researchers and environmental experts say the severity of the damage can be credited to years of environmental policies that have favoured the expansion of heavy industry, logging, palm oil and mining over protecting the sustainability of the region’s ecosystem, resulting in a landscape that is no longer capable of absorbing large amounts of rainfall. The central government also received significant criticism for refusing foreign aid and declining to declare a national disaster. The latter measure would have allowed it to access emergency funds and streamline disaster response efforts. Experts speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation credited the government’s refusal on both counts as attempts to minimize scrutiny of the government’s response efforts and thereby protect its public image.

Sources: The Conversation, The Jakarta Post, Asia Sentinel, British Broadcasting Corporation