Secondhand Smoke
Schools have been temporarily closed, the tourist economy of Singapore is slowly falling, and the Pollutants Standards Index (PSI), a measurement of air quality, has reached 984, well above the PSI of 300 that is classified as hazardous to one’s health. The onslaught of haze from fires in Sumatra and in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo, has greatly affected Southeast Asia and its population. These fires are part of slash-and-burn farming tactics, employed by major paper pulp and palm oil corporations and local small-scale farmers. With the strong winds and low humidity caused by this year’s El Niño phenomenon, the fires are difficult to put out and the smoke travels incredibly fast, creating serious problems for the local environment and neighboring populations.
El Niño is a weather phenomenon that develops every few years in the central and eastern Pacific. High air pressure accompanies this anomaly in the western Pacific, while low air pressure systems develop in the eastern Pacific. The increased ocean warmth alters the jet streams such that it enhances precipitation across the north-eastern hemisphere, but causes an extremely dry season in Southeast Asia, worsening the effects of slash-and-burn fires. These fires’ haze and smoke is blown to bordering states where the detrimental effects can be felt. In previous years, the fires of Indonesia have been an issue, but never like the ones faced today. El Niño provides the conditions necessary to spread the haze throughout Southeast Asia.
Slash-and-burn tactics are a cost-effective means of deforestation. It can become incredibly expensive for both local farmers and major corporations to deforest land with machines and manual labor. They resort to slash-and-burn agriculture to save time and costs, overlooking the detrimental effects. For instance, the palm oil industry alone is worth $44 billion, but involves many competing farmers and corporations who frequently resort to the practice.
The Indonesian government has enacted laws to curb these tactics, but has enjoyed little success. For instance, there is a ban on the clearing of peatland (lands covered with decomposed vegetable matter that is widely used for gardening and fuel) for agriculture. Yet, even with this ban in place, it is widely regarded that bureaucrats allow farmers to clear anything less than nine feet of peatland. Similar problems exist with the palm oil industry, with the Indonesian government not exerting control over major corporations, perhaps because of their economic benefits.
Neighboring states, especially Singapore, have put increased pressure on Indonesia to curb this haze issue with stronger governmental policies, since Singaporeans feel the adverse effects of the Indonesian fire-starting practice. By the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, passed in 2014, Singapore will take action against Singapore-listed companies complicit in the illegal land-clearing tactics in Indonesia. Under this act, they will sue such companies for the effects their slash-and-burn stratagems had on businesses and individuals.
The action taken by Singapore is justified, especially when looking at the health effects of illegal land-clearing methods. The haze from the Indonesian fires irritates both the eyes and respiratory tract of an individual and can leave long-term health issues. Many choose to stay inside and avoid outdoors for fear of infection from the haze. Schools have been closed down in Singapore and Malaysia, and both countries have experienced drops in their tourist revenues, presumably due to the haze. Businesses also have had to close because of the severe drop in foot traffic. Global Fire Watch, a branch of the World Resources Institute, estimated economic costs will reach close to $14 billion dollars-in both damages and economic failings.
Damages not only extend to individuals and businesses, but obviously to the environment itself. The forest cover on Sumatra aids wildlife, and when it is lost to slash-and-burn methods it deprives many species of their necessary habitats. It is especially difficult on the endangered species of the area, as they have little access to the necessary forest cover. Another strain brought onto the environment comes from the burning of peatland. When burned, it releases huge stores of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and adds to the greenhouse effect. This issue becomes especially relevant as Indonesia works to reduce emissions in order to meet its 2020 commitment with the Copenhagen Accord.
The efforts to put out the fires in Indonesia have failed to reach their intended goals. Due to forty percent of the fires being ignited on peatland, they are incredibly difficult to put out. A peat fire can burn underground for months at a time and requires massive amounts of water to be extinguished. Millions of liters of water have been dropped on the fires, and Malaysia has helped with cloud-seeding to produce rain. The fires are unresponsive to many techniques and seem insatiable, fueled by the El Niño-induced dryness and presence of carbon rich soil. Singapore pledged to help, but was continually rebuffed by Indonesia until very recently. The country's president, Joko Widodo, requested help in the form of firefighting aircraft with water-carrying capacities of 12-15 tons each. Indonesia had previously been fighting the blaze with aircraft that only have a capacity of two to three tons.
Recently, California and western Canada have also faced the heat of forest fires and have struggled to put them out as they too experience massive droughts. However, California's and Canada's fires were not set purposefully, and in their case, the solution was found through an increase of humidity and precipitation. To combat future fires, the University of California-Berkeley has proposed cutting down trees and then spraying their trunks with one to two ounces of herbicide to allow regrowth. The wood chips from the cut trees would decrease the undergrowth that often catalyzes a forest fire. Such a solution may not work in Indonesia considering the problem that the trees there are purposefully burned, often times illegally. A better solution would involve the creation of strict laws that encourage companies and local farmers to avoid slash-and-burn tactics at all costs, but if absolutely necessary, to do so in a controlled area under strict supervision.
Indonesia needs to enforce its existing laws regarding agriculture, even in the far recesses of its state. If not, the haze problem will persist and the deforestation of their forests will continue until none are left. With the adverse effects of the El Niño phenomenon, the fires are catalyzed and their haze reaches and expands throughout the neighboring states, creating negative externalities. Major companies and local farmers need to recognize their slash-and-burn tactics do little good in the long run for the overall health of the region and its people. Southeast Asia must work in unison to control the fires that blaze through their lives if they are to resist the effects of haze and the economic downturns that come with it.
The image featured in this article is licensed under Creative Commons. The original image can be found here.
