Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Drone/Aerial
Smelter from Nickel refining

Smelter from Nickel refining in Morosi, South-East Sulawesi, Indonesia. Climate change, with its devastating effects, largely due to a massive use of fossil fuels, requires more sustainable, so-called "Green", environmental policies. Global demand for electric vehicles is pushing Indonesia to extract huge quantities of nickel (a fundamental element in the production of batteries) in areas that were until recently uncontaminated. On the island of Sulawesi, however, the impact of extraction-production is causing serious environmental damage: deforestation, the spillage of chemical products during excavations, the contamination of heavy metals from numerous factories, are destroying entire ecosystems.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2024
Date Uploaded: 09.2024
Photo Location: Morosi, Indonesia
Camera: FC3682
Copyright: © Erberto Zani