Commentary: Regional haze casts a pall on ASEAN’s influence

ASEAN's credibility hinges on turning regional commitments into tangible outcomes, according to an ISEAS fellow. Singapore has recently witnessed haze from Indonesian forest and peatland fires affecting visibility at Supadio Airport. ASEAN's Specialised Meteorological Centre has been on maximum alert since August, monitoring hotspots across Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Malaysia has requested Indonesia's permission for cloud seeding over its territory, and Singapore has issued daily haze advisories. ASEAN has been trying to tackle this issue for nearly three decades, starting with the Regional Haze Action Plan in 1997 and later adopting the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) in 2002.

The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre monitors hotspots, weather conditions, and smoke movement, while the AATHP provides a framework for joint responses. However, the recurrence of haze is a revealing test of ASEAN's credibility, as it is predominantly an intra-ASEAN problem. The issue lies in ASEAN's limited authority to direct or influence member states' management of their territories, a principle of non-interference that restricts ASEAN's intervention.

Additionally, establishing legal responsibility for liability is challenging, as it requires gathering land concession data, conducting investigations, and finding evidence for enforcement, all of which remain largely within national jurisdictions. While ASEAN has taken steps like Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, the effectiveness of these measures depends on access to information, cooperation from source countries, and sufficient evidence to prove responsibility.

Holding large plantation companies accountable remains a challenge due to the lack of transparent concession maps, reliable fire monitoring, and robust investigative and enforcement mechanisms at the regional level.