Indonesia is deploying armed soldiers to bulldoze one of Earth's last great rainforests in Papua for a massive agricultural project that will span an area five times the size of London. The government aims to clear 3 million hectares of pristine ecosystems for rice and sugarcane plantations, despite the region being home to Indigenous communities and rare species found nowhere else on Earth. The project has raised concerns about human rights abuses, environmental destruction, and the release of massive amounts of carbon emissions.

The government justifies the project as essential for food and energy security, but experts warn that the ecological benefits of the old-growth rainforests cannot be replaced by reforestation. The development, which involves unprecedented militarization and controversial companies, has sparked international outrage and calls for the project to be halted immediately. As fatal floods linked to deforestation in other regions kill over 1,000 people, Indonesia's race to clear the forests of Papua has raised questions about the government's commitment to combating climate change and protecting the environment.