Southeast Asian haze
Haze events, where air quality reaches hazardous levels due to high concentrations of airborne particulate matter from burning biomass,[1] have caused adverse health, environmental and economic impacts in several countries in Southeast Asia.
[2][3] Caused primarily by slash-and-burn land clearing, the problem flares up every dry season to varying degrees[4] and generally is worst between July and October and during El Niño events.
[7] Industrial-scale slash-and-burn practices to clear land for agricultural purposes are a major cause of the haze, particularly for palm oil and pulpwood production in the region.
The haze also has a substantial environmental impact, being a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the region and affecting wildlife and ecosystems.
Efforts have been made to mitigate haze events and their impacts, and some relevant frameworks for regional cooperation among ASEAN countries have been introduced.
Mechanically raking the plant material into long piles and letting them rot over time, is expensive and slow, and could harbour pests.
[22] Although originally a wetland ecosystem, much of the peatland in Southeast Asia have been drained for human activities such as agriculture, forestry and urban development.
A report published in 2011 stated that more than 30% of peat swamp forests had been converted to agricultural land and a further 30% had been logged or degraded in the past 20 to 30 years.
[7] In 2020, lockdowns and other social movement restrictions introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic are thought to have reduced air pollution across the region.
In addition, severe haze weather can lead to reduced crop productivity, accidents, evacuations, and the loss of confidence of foreign investors.
[28] School closures have affected many parts of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, sometimes for several weeks, due to hazardous air pollution.
PSI during periods of haze has also been correlated with all-cause mortality,[36] as well as respiratory-illnesses that presented to Emergency Departments and hospital admissions.
[28] A population study found that individuals experienced mild psychological stress, which was associated with the perceived dangerous PSI level and the number of physical symptoms.
[39] In addition to the direct burning of rainforest, the haze also harms wildlife in the region such as orangutans, birds and amphibians, by impacting their health and reproduction.
[42] Commentators have suggested Indonesia's emissions during haze seasons undermine potential efforts to reach its pledged Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement.
[7] Countries have responded to haze events with state of emergency declarations, cloud seeding to clear air and mobilising firefighting resources to areas being burned.
The public have also been recommended to stay at home with the doors closed, and wear face masks when outside to minimise exposure to hazardous air quality.
Land-use allocation decisions made by central government agencies often overlap with the concession boundaries of local jurisdictions and indigenous communities' territories.
Regional reforms should also ensure that land and resource allocations and decisions at all levels are compatible with physical site characteristics, prominently taking fire risks into account.
However, Indonesia's legacy of inaccurate maps, overlapping boundaries, and a lack of technical expertise at the Provincial and District levels will make this a difficult task.
Policies to improve land management and measures to restore ecological integrity to degraded natural forests are extremely important to reduce the incidence of repeated fires.
Technology such as remote sensing, digital mapping, and instantaneous communications can help to predict, detect, and respond to potential fire crises.
