Depoliticizing Decarbonization: Energy Plantations and Agrarian Inequality in Rural Indonesia

The Indonesian government, in collaboration with Perhutani, has promoted energy plantations as part of decarbonization agenda, claiming they provide economic benefits to local communities. However, rather than facilitating more equal land access to farmers, these initiatives have reinforced Perhutani’s control over land, exacerbating agrarian inequality in rural areas. This study critically examines how energy plantation in S Village, Grobogan Regency, Central Java, contribute to the re-concentration of land ownership and marginalization of rural communities. Based on qualitative research conducted in August 2023—including literature reviews, field observations, interviews, and focus group discussions—this study finds that the prioritization of carbon reduction has led to discursive depoliticization, which obscures the structural struggles of peasants for land rights. By framing decarbonization as a technical and market-driven solution, policymakers have weakened the political agency necessary for transformative change, allowing green investment to take precedence over agrarian justice. As a result, the current approach perpetuates inequality rather than addressing the root causes of rural dispossession. This paper argues that a just and equitable decarbonization agenda must integrate agrarian reform and empower local communities rather than serve the interests of corporate-driven climate policies.