Southeast Asian haze

The Southeast Asian haze is the visible air pollution affecting many countries in Southeast Asia, caused mainly by fires set as part of slash-and-burn agriculture. The large-scale phenomenon has been observed annually since at least the early 1970s, especially during the dry season, but certain years, including 1997, 2013, and 2015, have seen particularly dense pollution. In 2015, the haze affected Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and had secondary effects on Thailand and the Philippines. Some researchers believe that the haze also affects more distant nations. While the haze is connected to public health and economic problems, many people continue to use fire to clear space for crops because it is the cheapest and most readily available option. In an effort to prevent or limit the haze, national and international organizations are working to develop political and economic incentive structures for farmers to use other agricultural methods. Additionally, some countries have adopted laws that seek to punish or publicly shame those who continue to use fire to clear their lands.

Background

The slash-and-burn method of clearing land has long been practiced in Southeast Asia, as in other parts of the world, but by the 1970s the scale of burning operations had grown large enough that its negative effects on air quality became visible over a large area of several nations. Unusually hazy conditions first appeared in Singapore in October 1972 and have occurred there and in neighboring regions almost every year since. The haze has appeared as a black or reddish smoke, mist, or fog, sometimes thick enough to cause extremely poor visibility. From the earliest instances of the haze, observers placed blame on fires in the peat forests of Indonesia, especially in the regions of South Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Many farmers rely on burning as a way to remove old crops from agricultural land. This method is cheap, especially with the region’s long dry season that makes the crops easy to burn. Problematically, however, such fires can quickly spread out of control, with peat in particular susceptible to underground fires that can spread unnoticed. To prevent this, some farmers use chemicals and machines in an attempt to create a controlled burn, which is meant to keep the fire contained; however, the use of chemicals can add to the pollution level.

Fires are also commonly used to clear away forest or jungle that land developers want to use for new agricultural, commercial, or residential space. These fires may be set by small-scale farmers or large corporations, and can have a number of purposes. As with clearing old crops, fire is a cheap and effective means of clearing forests and preparing the land for other development. The palm oil and pulp and paper industries are especially active in clearing forests. Additionally, because many people who live within the forests and jungles are opposed to the destruction of their environments, fire has been used by land developers to force these communities to move, both by placing them in immediate danger from the fire and by destroying their settlements. These fires are often set illegally, and poorly regulated land ownership and law enforcement deters efforts to prevent and prosecute burning.

The haze has been connected to both short-term and long-term health problems. Some people have allergic reactions to the haze and experience symptoms similar to a cold. Others have much more severe reactions such as asthma or chronic lung disease, especially in areas with dense pollution. These problems are especially common among children and the elderly. The environmentalist organization Greenpeace estimated that each year approximately 110,000 people die from conditions related to the poor air quality of the haze. Environmental health is also compromised, with animals such as orangutans suffering not only from respiratory illnesses but from the effects of habitat loss. Observers have noted that ongoing fires have an enormous impact on global levels of carbon in the atmosphere, and therefore on climate change and its associated health risks.

Economically, the haze has resulted in a loss of tourism to the affected countries. Some foreign investors have also left the region either because of its declining popularity as a tourist destination or because of the business costs associated with working in haze conditions. For example, industrial accidents are potentially more common because employees cannot see properly. Additionally, the haze often results in decreased agricultural revenue—despite the added land under cultivation—because crops are not able to receive enough sunlight through the haze.

Southeast Asian Haze Today

Local, national, and international governing bodies are looking for ways to overcome problems caused by the Southeast Asian haze and prevent or reduce it in future years. Regional summits held in 1995 and 1997 sought to create an action plan that would respond to the haze. In 2002, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) created the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) in order to coordinate cooperation on the issue. These efforts were not immediately successful, as proven by a three-hour period in 2013 when Singapore and Malaysia set records for air pollution as determined by the Pollutants Standard Index (PSI).

The conditions were worse in 2015, when the especially dry conditions of the El Niño weather pattern made that year’s haze one of the worst ever experienced, with 2 million hectares of land burned. Many schools in the affected areas closed and those most at risk for health complications were evacuated, business and transportation was interrupted, and economic costs were US$16 billion. Hundreds of thousands of cases of acute respiratory infections were reported across Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asian countries continue to work to resolve problems caused by the haze. Indonesia has sent its army to assist firefighters working to extinguish haze-causing fires. In Malaysia, the government experimented with cloud-seeding to induce rain in regions at risk for or already experiencing fires. Singapore developed new laws to prosecute those who contribute to the haze. Various companies in the region have pledged to practice sustainable agriculture and avoid burning. In March 2016, the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil canceled the sustainability certificates of the IOI Group, a Malaysian palm oil producer, causing the company to lose multinational supply contracts. Some companies have also started incentive programs to curb the long-held village traditions of using fire to clear land.

Beginning in 2015, Indonesia began asking for international aid and assistance, signaling a greater willingness to recognize the haze as an international problem. Since then, Indonesian president Joko Widodo has taken measures to reduce the haze and its impact on the region. These efforts include banning new plantations on primary forest and peatland; holding the police and military accountable for fire prevention; creating the Peatland Restoration Agency, which as of 2017 has restored 270,000 hectares of land; and securing fire-fighting resources.

Bibliography

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