Southeast Asia’s haze crisis will persist until polluters pay
Summary
Southeast Asia is facing a severe haze problem caused mainly by forest and peatland fires in Indonesia. These fires create air pollution that affects several countries, harming health, closing schools, and disrupting daily life. The issue continues because land clearing by burning is cheap and profitable for some, while its costs are spread across many people and countries.Key Facts
- Malaysia has closed schools due to bad air quality from the haze.
- Singapore and parts of the Philippines have also experienced dangerous air pollution from the haze.
- Fires in Indonesia, especially in Kalimantan, are the main source of the haze.
- Many fires are deliberately started to clear land for farming because burning is cheaper than other methods.
- The World Bank estimated Indonesia’s 2015 fires caused at least $16.1 billion in losses, about 1.9% of its GDP.
- This year’s fires in Indonesia burned about 637,000 to 900,000 hectares and led to over 283,000 respiratory illness cases.
- The costs of the fires (health, economic, environmental) are spread across society but not fully paid by those who start the fires.
- Solutions may require making those responsible pay for damages and providing affordable alternatives to burning for land clearing.
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