Transboundary Haze in Southeast Asia

Transboundary haze in Southeast Asia has become a recurring intermittent problem in the region in recent decades. It doesn’t bring economies to a halt. Rather, it is a “slow onset” problem that is particularly suffered by the vulnerable. 

“The haze season”, typically July-October, is primarily caused by land clearance by fire for crops, particularly palm oil. El Niño events influence the spread of transboundary haze.

Three transboundary haze events in 1997, 2015 and 2019 led to publications and announcements about how the problem can and should be tackled. In 2003 the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution was agreed. Its effectiveness is debatable.

Systemic policy solutions are required to stop haze. Proactive action by the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia (the major oil palm growing countries) has helped to prevent severe haze periods across Southeast Asia in recent years. Nonetheless, land clearance by fire continues despite efforts to control and reduce it. 2023 and 2024 were lucky years, it would seem. Haze can easily occur again if factors align, “like holes aligning in Swiss cheese”.

Can natural habitat that would otherwise be burned for high yield but unhealthy crops be given an economic value and put to sustainable use to provide meaningful local livelihoods? 

The private sector has an important role to play in finding good solutions.

References:

G Byatt, Transboundary haze management in Southeast Asia – Case Study Supporting Paper

UNDRR Global Assessment Report 2024 (2024), Indonesia wildfires, 2023 - Forensic analysis.

London School of Economics (2023, Jan 12), Achieving a haze-free future in Southeast Asia: The case of third-sector organisations in Malaysia.

Kiely, L., Spracklen, D.V., Arnold, S.R. et al. Assessing costs of Indonesian fires and the benefits of restoring peatland.

Climate Diplomacy (2015. Sept 30), Southeast Asia's Haze Problem: Why So Hard To Solve?