That produces about 112 kilograms of CO2.

But in an electric vehicle or EV

that same drive produces zero emissions.

It's all thanks to this rechargeable battery

a lithium ion battery that powers the car's electric motor.

If all road vehicles were electric

we'd be able to wipe out about 18% of all CO2 emissions

the most prominent greenhouse gas driving climate change.

But producing these powerful batteries can do real environmental damage.

Nickel, the key ingredient in EV batteries

has to be mined and smelted

in a process that contaminates waterways

drives deforestation and pollutes the air.

And there's no better place to see this

than outside nickel processing plants in Indonesia

next to where people like Asvina live.

These particles are finer than beach sand

and are harmful when inhaled.

The same nickel paving the way for a green future

is causing life threatening problems

for the people who live near its production centers.

But it shouldn't be this way

because Indonesia is sitting on one of the biggest sources

of clean energy in the world.

An energy source that could help clean up the dirty

and often hidden side of green energy.

Indonesia has the world's largest proven nickel reserves.

Most of them are found here.

So is a large concentration of the country's nickel processing plants.

A lot of this nickel supplies the steel industry, but most of the growth

the industry has seen in recent years is driven by the demand for EV batteries.

Demand that's predicted to skyrocket.

To extrack the nickel

the rocks have to be smelted at really high heats.

And that energy is almost exclusively provided by

coal fired plants that spew greenhouse gases and pollute the air.

Asvina's story isn't an isolated incident.

Records of medical visits in her area show that

respiratory infections are by far the most common health issue.

Data from 2017 and 2018

suggests respiratory diseases are increasing in the region

at a much faster rate than other ailments.

But the government has yet to release the latest data.

For Asvina, who has lived in the area since she was a child

there's no doubt things are worsening.

Nickel is essential for a green future

but using coal fired plants isn't actually necessary

especially in Indonesia.

Indonesia sits along the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire

a stretch of hundreds of active volcanoes that sit on top of pools of hot magma.

We only really see the immense power of this heat when it pierces through the earth's surface.

But when it's close to the surface

that magma also heats the water trapped beneath the earth.

That hot water can provide

That hot water can provide a continuous and renewable flow of energy

called geothermal energy.

To capture that energy

we need to drill down to reach underground water.

Then hot water or steam rise up to a well.

In a power plant, that hot water is often used to heat a different liquid

that is then vaporized and used to turn a turbine to generate electricity.

Meanwhile, the clean water extracted is funneled

back into the ground where the earth's magma heats it once again.

And that fluid is recycled.

So there are no emissions of any gases to the atmosphere.

In that sense, it's a completely green

carbon-free energy source.

Plus, it doesn't rely on the weather like wind or solar energy do.

Indonesia is the second largest geothermal producer in the world.

On the same island where coal-fired plants are powering nickel production

there's a plant tapping into geothermal power.

There are about 20 active geothermal plants.

There are also tens of sites explored for development.

One of the biggest things holding geothermal back in Indonesia

and other parts of the world is cost.

And then once you've got evidence that there's a resource

the idea is then to figure out how big is the resource

how hot is the resource

and how much would it cost to develop that type of resource?

Longer timeline, higher risk factor

and higher initial investment costs

are all things that make geothermal more challenging to put online.

And while geothermal maps like this one can help identify possible hotspots...

you never know what you're going to find until you actually drill.

Over time, the hope is that

geothermal exploration will become cheaper, more predictable

and so efficient that it'll bring the cost down.

But it can be tough to change an existing industry,

especially if there's a lot of money in it.

Encouraged by Indonesia's push to attract foreign investment

and deregulation of environmental protections

Chinese companies have invested or committed

about $30 billion to nickel plants in Indonesia, particularly in Morawali

where new coal fired plants like this one

being built to power the investment.

For people like Asvina

the fact that geothermal doesn't produce emissions or air pollution

could make it the solution they're looking for.

Because if nothing changes

they might have to leave their homes.

Today, geothermal plants are mostly confined to volcanic areas

but our EV batteries are made of metals and minerals

from around the world.

And about 60% of the energy we used to process them

comes from fossil fuels.

There's enormous potential for cleaner EV battery production

in all these yellow and red regions if we dig deeper

and find ways to tap into the underground heat

whether there's underground water or not.

Like every new resource, the work we do to harness it

requires careful consideration.

How do you preserve parklands

and how does that coexist with geothermal development?

The other issue that seems to come up a lot

when I read about geothermal is seismic activity.

Most of the geothermal induced seismicity that occurs is very low level seismicity

but the goal is to not have significant seismicity that could cause damage

and distress to local communities.

The challenges are to making these

environmentally, socially, and economically viable.

And that's a very important challenge

especially if we think of geothermal as a solution

to clean up the supply chain that powers our clean energy.

Because all too often

it's poor and marginalized communities who live next to power plants

smelters, mines, factories, pipelines, waste plants.

As we move towards a better future

it's important to make sure it isn't just green but fair.