Why Southeast Asia Is Facing a Haze Crisis

Indonesia is battling its worst wildfires in 11 years, blanketing more than 12 million people with thick smog and spreading haze to neighboring countries.Fires across seven provinces on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra have been burning for weeks. Dry weather and drought linked to a “Super El Niño” are making it harder to contain the fires, which occur seasonally in the country often when farmers and corporations burn away vegetation to clear land. From January to July, fires ravaged 202,000 hectares of land, according to government data. In August alone, fires scorched 600,000 hectares of land in August alone, according to environmental group YKAN.Smoke from the fires, containing soot and tiny suspended particles, has produced haze across parts of Southeast Asia, with humid conditions reducing visibility. Suwadi, a resident of Kalimantan, told the Guardian last month that breathing feels “like smoking a cigarette.”Indonesian authorities warned that the wildfires could continue through October or early November due to a forecasted late rainy season. The government urged farmers and corporations not to use fire to clear the land, which is broadly against the law. As of Sept. 4, Ind...