JAKARTA (Reuters) – The perennial problem of cross-border haze has once again caused friction in Southeast Asia, with Malaysia’s environment minister writing to the Indonesian government. this week calling for a regional response to the toxic smoke moving through their nation.
The letter comes just weeks after Southeast Asian countries pledged to achieve a haze-free region by 2030.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?
In recent weeks, air quality in parts of Malaysia and Indonesia has reached red levels, with indices consistently showing readings above 150, putting it in a group where people may experience health effects and those with sensitive conditions could suffer. more serious problems.
On the Indonesian side of the island of Borneo, visibility was reduced to less than 10 metres, while schools were closed in both Indonesia and Malaysia to minimize the impact on the health of young children.
Malaysia has blamed Indonesia for the haze, saying smoke from forest fires crosses the border.
Every few years during the dry season, smoke from the slashing and burning of land, largely to make way for oil palm, pulp and paper plantations, envelops much of the region, posing a threat to the public health, education and businesses such as tourism.
HOW IS THE PROBLEM ADDRESSED?
Despite Malaysia’s requests this week not to “normalize” For the haze, Indonesia has steadfastly denied any responsibility.
Indonesian Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said on Friday that the forest fires had decreased and no fog was detected advancing towards any neighboring country.
Indonesia has been fighting the fires with water bombing from helicopters, he said.
In the past, Indonesia has taken legal action against companies suspected of carrying out illegal burning, but each year the fires continue with varying degrees of severity.
In 2015 and 2019, Indonesia was hit by catastrophic fires that burned millions of hectares of land, caused unprecedented emissions and shrouded some places in toxic yellow smoke.
WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPING?
Under Indonesian law, burning by small local farmers is permitted as long as it occurs on a maximum area of two hectares and the necessary prevention measures are taken.
All large-scale planters are required to comply with sustainable standards for palm oil, which prohibit burning.
The regulations mean that slash and burn techniques continue to be used by small farmers who rely on the cheap method of land clearing and for whom compliance with the rules is voluntary.
Opaque supply chains, overlapping land claims and these regulatory loopholes mean that large companies, which in some cases are owned by companies based in countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, can sometimes escape responsibility for illegal land clearing. land.
HOW IS THE REGION RESPONDING?
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations recently launched a coordination center for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC THPC).
Designed to help members prevent, mitigate and monitor cross-border haze, the center is in line with ASEAN’s commitment to achieve a haze-free region by 2030.
This week ASEAN agriculture and forestry ministers also agreed to take collective action to minimize and eventually eliminate crop burning.
IS CLIMATE CHANGE GETTING WORSE?
Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest patch of rainforest and the government needs to take more action, environmentalists say. The country is experiencing dry conditions exacerbated by the El Niño weather pattern this year.
Greenpeace Indonesia says climate warming is increasing the intensity and frequency of forest and land fires, which in turn are fueling the climate crisis.
WHY PALM OIL?
Global consumption of palm oil, used in a wide range of products such as biscuits, candles and cooking oil, is growing rapidly.
Palm oil is the most widely used edible oil in the world and accounts for 60% of global vegetable oil exports.
For Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, the product is one of the biggest export earners after coal. Export revenue from palm oil and its derivatives amounted to $39.28 billion in 2022, according to the Indonesian Palm Oil Association.
Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Kate Lamb, additional reporting by Bernadette Christina; Edited by Naveen Thukral and
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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