Why Have Indonesia’s Fires Gotten So Bad?
This could be their worst-ever year.
Indonesia is experiencing its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023. The fires have burned over 900,000 hectares of rainforest and peatland from January to August, surpassing the record set in 2019. The smoke from these fires has spread across Southeast Asian borders, including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Manila, Philippines.
The current dry season is especially long due to the El Niño phenomenon, which has exacerbated the fire situation. The root cause of these devastating fires appears to be plantation agriculture, as hotspots overlap with plantation density. Draining peatland for plantation land creation and using fire for land preparation during dry seasons have further intensified the problem.
El Niño has played a significant role by prolonging the dry season and raising sea surface temperatures, contributing to a 50% increase in fire hotspots in rural Indonesian districts. The Indonesian government's budget for disaster management has been significantly reduced, limiting its ability to effectively combat the fires. Despite mobilizing resources, questions remain about the government's willingness to confront the plantation industry.
Meanwhile, Southeast Asian leaders addressed the U.N. General Assembly, with Vietnamese President To Lam calling for multilateralism and respect for international law.
Written by urgent.news from Foreign Policy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
