# El Nino stoking forest fires in Indonesia



## waltky (Oct 3, 2015)

Big forest fires in Indonesia...

*Indonesia forest fires could top records: NASA*
_Sat, Oct 03, 2015 - CHOKING HAZE: With El Nino making conditions even drier than usual in Indonesia, this year’s fires could break 1997’s record, scientists at NASA said_


> Forest fires blanketing Southeast Asia in choking haze are on track to become among the worst on record, scientists warn, with a prolonged dry season hampering efforts to curb the crisis.  Malaysia, Singapore and large expanses of Indonesia have suffered for weeks from acrid smoke billowing from fires on plantations and peatlands that are being illegally cleared by burning.  The crisis grips the region nearly every year during the dry season, flaring diplomatic tensions among the neighbors as flights are grounded, schools close and pollution levels reach hazardous highs.  However, the current outbreak is one of the worst and longest-lasting in years, with an El Nino weather system making conditions drier than usual in Indonesia and keeping much-needed rain at bay.
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## waltky (Oct 7, 2015)

Granny says dat's what's been causin' her coughin' fits - `cause alla dat smoke from dem Chinamens is burnin' down the rainforests...

*Health Problems Widening from Asian Rainforest Fires*
_October 06, 2015 — Officials in Thailand are warning that smoke from Indonesia’s massive rainforest fires is affecting public health in four southern provinces.  For weeks, haze from Indonesia’s land clearing has prompted health alerts in that country, as well as in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore.  Poor air quality has led to cancellations of classes, sporting events and other activities._


> Indonesian farmers and developers routinely burn rainforest to clear land at this time of year, but a large rise in palm oil production is blamed for the massive fires and the resulting haze. NASA forecasts this year’s fires will become the region’s worst on record.  Although the pollution spreads across the region, so too do the profits from businesses behind the land clearing. Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean investors and companies have close links with the politicians and officials in Indonesia, creating a conflict of interest, according to those who have studied the issue.  “Once they retire from the government, they are re-employed in these companies as advisers and as other positions to maintain this relationship with the present government,” said Helena Binti Muhamad Varkkey, deputy executive director of the Asia-Europe Institute at the University of Malaya.
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## waltky (Oct 8, 2015)

Forest fires choking the whole region...

*Southeast Asia, Choking on Haze, Struggles for a Solution*
_OCT. 8, 2015 — Savir Singh’s taxi rolled into downtown Singapore, taking an overpass that provides a stunning view of the popular hotels and tourist attractions around Marina Bay._


> The only problem was that he could barely see them. Thick haze from forest fires set in neighboring Indonesia to clear land for agriculture has blanketed this island state for weeks, and has spread to Malaysia and southern Thailand.  While many Singaporeans have sought refuge from the pollution in their homes, offices or shopping malls, Mr. Singh’s only haven is his mobile workplace, and a small bottle of eyedrops lying near his armrest.  “Look at this,” he said, pointing to the partly obscured Singapore Flyer, a 540-foot-tall Ferris wheel. “I wish they had haze in Jakarta. Then the government there would do something about it.”
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## waltky (Oct 8, 2015)

Singapore to help Indonesia with wildfires...

*Indonesia will get help from Singapore for haze*
_Oct. 8, 2015  -- Indonesia accepted Singapore's offer Wednesday to help deal with the haze from months of intentional fires that have crippled the country, a Singapore government official said._


> Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan announced on his Facebook page that his government's formal request for the names of the plantation companies that are suspected of clearing land by setting fires was accepted by Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.  The two countries are now expected to work together to punish the companies responsible for a haze that has grown over Indonesia for months, choking people and livestock, and crippling the country.
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*Jakarta accepts help to combat fires*
_Fri, Oct 09, 2015 - ACRID SMOG: A spokesman said the nation needs bigger planes for water-bombing and officials had been in touch with Russia, Singapore, Australia, China and Malaysia_


> Indonesia yesterday agreed to accept international help to combat forest and agricultural fires cloaking Southeast Asia in haze, after weeks of failed attempts to douse the blazes that have infuriated its neighbors.  Officials said Singapore and Russia had already offered help and talks were under way with several other nations, an about-face after Jakarta insisted for weeks that it could tackle the crisis alone.  “Hopefully, we can speed up our efforts,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said as he set off to visit western Sumatra island, the site of many of the smog-belching blazes.
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## waltky (Oct 10, 2015)

Water bombers show up in Indonesia to help fight rainforest fires...

*International aircraft arrive to help tackle fires in Indonesia*
_Sun, Oct 11, 2015 - International help to assist Indonesia in combating forest and agricultural fires cloaking Southeast Asia in haze has begun to arrive on Sumatra island, an official said yesterday._


> Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, said a Bombardier amphibious aircraft and Malaysian crew arrived on Friday to begin water bombing South Sumatra.  “They are currently being briefed by the disaster mitigation chief and the water bombing will start immediately after that,” Sutopo said.  Fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan have been blanketing Southeast Asia for weeks, with pollution levels in both locations recorded far above hazardous levels. The haze has also forced Malaysia and Singapore to close schools and cancel outdoor events.
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## waltky (Oct 19, 2015)

Schools shut in Malaysia due to Indonesia smoke haze...

*Malaysia again shuts schools due to Indonesia smoke haze*
_Oct 19, 2015: Malaysia closed schools in several states and the capital Kuala Lumpur today due to choking smoke from Indonesian slash-and-burn farming that has smothered much of Southeast Asia in smog for weeks._


> Malaysia has repeatedly ordered students to stay home as a health precaution as the current smog problem, an annual dry-season occurrence, has become one of the worst in years, exacerbated by tinder-dry conditions from the El Nino weather phenomenon.
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> Last week it had a enjoyed a respite from the acrid grey shroud that has sparked health alerts, sent thousands to hospitals for respiratory problems, and caused the cancellation of scores of flights and some major international events across the region.  Facing growing pressure, Indonesia earlier this month agreed to accept international help after weeks of failure to douse the fires that has infuriated its neighbours.
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## waltky (Oct 20, 2015)

No let up in haze in the near future...

*Haze crisis could persist into new year, say experts*
_October 20th, 2015 - The fires raging in forests and peatland across Indonesia, which produce the thick haze that has spread across Southeast Asia in recent weeks, are unlikely to be put out in the next month or two._


> This means the crisis could persist into the new year, experts said, as the latest reports show hot spots emerging in 18 provinces in the archipelagic state in the past few days.  “Maybe it will last until December and January,” Dr Herry Purnomo of the Centre for International Forestry Research said in a Reuters report yesterday. He added that there were also hot spots in Papua, a region usually spared such fires, because “people are opening new agriculture areas, like palm oil”.  The Ministry of Environment and Forestry yesterday said it was still investigating the cause of the fires in Papua. But its director-general of law enforcement, Mr Rasio Ridho Sani, said this year’s fires have reached an unprecedented level.  “We have never imagined we would ever see those lines of hot spots in Sulawesi and Papua,” he told reporters, pointing to a hot- spot map during the briefing.
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> The smoldering haze from the fires has spread across many parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.  Malaysia’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was quoted in an Agence France-Presse report as saying that he expects the crisis to continue for another month. “Unless there is rain, there is no way human intervention can put out the fires.”  Indonesian national disaster management agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told The Straits Times: “Rain will start in December. It is impossible that we will still have the haze problem in January.”  Meanwhile, three cities on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao were also covered by thick smoke. Weather forecaster Gerry Pedrico told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the haze had been covering the cities of Davao, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos since last Saturday.
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## waltky (Oct 22, 2015)

Indonesian rainforest fires producing more carbon emissions than from U.S....

*Carbon emissions from Indonesian fires exceed US’*
_Thu, Oct 22, 2015 - Fires raging across huge areas of Indonesia are spewing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every day than the US economy, according to estimates from global environment watchdogs._


> For nearly two months, thousands of fires caused by slash-and-burn farming have suffocated vast expanses of Southeast Asia with smog, causing respiratory illnesses to soar, schools to close, and scores of flights and some international events to be canceled.  Much of the burning is in tropical peatlands rich in carbon, but which are being drained and cleared at a rapid rate to make way for agriculture, particularly fast-expanding palm oil plantations.  The World Resources Institute (WRI), using findings from the Global Fire Emissions Database, said in a recent report that, since early last month, carbon emissions from the fires had exceeded average US daily output on 26 out of 44 days.
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> The US is the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas source after China.  “The burning of tropical peatlands is so significant for greenhouse gas emissions because these areas store some of the highest quantities of carbon on Earth, accumulated over thousands of years,” the WRI said. “Draining and burning these lands for agricultural expansion, such as conversion to oil palm or pulpwood plantations, leads to huge spikes in greenhouse gas emissions.”  The fires and resulting region-wide blanket of smoke occur to varying degrees each year during the dry season as land is illegally cleared by burning, regularly angering Indonesia’s smog-hit neighbors Malaysia and Singapore.
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## waltky (Oct 23, 2015)

Evacuations started in Indonesia due to rainforest fires...

*Indonesia haze could lead to more evacuations*
_Oct. 23, 2015  -- Indonesia could evacuate more people as the thick haze from forest fires continues to choke the island nation, authorities said Thursday._


> At a government news conference, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan said major action is needed to deal with the haze from forest fires as weather reports forecast no rain until December and water-dropping aircraft are having little effect on fires still burning deep below peatland.
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## waltky (Oct 24, 2015)

Indonesia gettin' ready for haze evacuation...

*Indonesia warships put on standby for haze evacuation*
_Sun, Oct 25, 2015 - Indonesia has put warships on standby to evacuate people affected by acrid haze from forest fires that have killed at least 10 and caused respiratory illnesses in 500,000, officials said yesterday._


> For nearly two months, thousands of fires caused by slash-and-burn farming in Indonesia have choked vast expanses of Southeast Asia, forcing schools to close, and scores of flights and some international events to be canceled.  Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the fires had killed 10 people, some fighting the blazes, while others died of respiratory illnesses or medical conditions exacerbated by the pollution.  “The impact of the forest fires has caused 10 people in Sumatra and Kalimantan to die, directly and indirectly,” Nugroho said.
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> The figure did not include seven hikers killed in a wildfire on Java last week.  The agency estimated at least 500,000 people have suffered from respiratory illness since the fires started in July and 43 million people have been affected by the widespread fires and haze on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.
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## waltky (Oct 28, 2015)

Polluting more than China...

*How Indonesia's fires made it the biggest climate polluter*
_October 29, 2015 - Indonesia's forest fires have catapulted the southeast Asian nation to the top of the rankings of the world's worst global warming offenders, with daily emissions exceeding those of China on at least 14 days in the past two months._


> The nation's total daily carbon dioxide emissions, including from power generation, transport and industry, exceeded those of the U.S. on 47 of the 74 days through October 28, according to Bloomberg analysis of national emissions data from the World Resources Institute in Washington and Indonesian fire- emissions data from VU University in Amsterdam.
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## waltky (Oct 29, 2015)

Haze brings state of emergency...

*Indonesian haze: Why it's everyone's problem*
_Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are choking under a thick haze of smog caused by the annual burning of land for the production of pulp, paper and palm oil on the island of Sumatra, in western Indonesia and Borneo.  The smog has become so bad the Indonesian government has declared a state of emergency in Riau province, one of the worst affected areas._


> Seven executives from companies alleged to be behind the fires have been arrested, said Indonesian police chief, General Badrodin Haiti.  It's a persistent, annual problem that disrupts lives, costs the governments of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia billions of dollars, and leaves millions of people at risk of respiratory and other diseases. The land that burns is extremely carbon rich, raising Indonesia's contribution to climate change.
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## waltky (Nov 13, 2015)

Choking haze may be doing more harm than officials have indicated...

*Scientists Warn of Health Damage From Indonesia's Haze Fires*
_ November 12, 2015 — Toxic fumes from the Indonesian fires that have spread a choking haze across Southeast Asia may be doing more harm to human and plant health than officials have indicated, scientists measuring the pollution say._


> Farmers are expecting a poor harvest because plants have too little sunlight for normal photosynthesis, while government figures of half a million sickened by the smoke are only the "tip of the iceberg", said Louis Verchot, a scientist with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).  Meanwhile, the fires are converting carbon stored in burning peatlands into greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change.  "When the sun goes up, the whole world is yellow. On the worst day, the visibility was less than 100 meters (328 ft)," said Verchot, who led a workshop on the crisis in Central Kalimantan province last month with about 20 scientists from Indonesia, the United States and Britain.
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## waltky (Dec 22, 2015)

3 companies shut down permanently after slash-and-burn land clearance...

*Firms punished over forest fires*
_Wed, Dec 23, 2015 - Indonesia is punishing more than 20 companies in an unprecedented move for starting deadly forest fires that killed 19 people, a government official said yesterday._


> Three companies have been shut down permanently after having their licenses revoked over their role in the blazes that choked vast expanses of southeast Asia with acrid haze and cost Indonesia US$16 billion.  It is the first time the government has revoked company licenses over forest fires, an annual occurrence caused by slash-and-burn land clearance.  The Indonesian Ministry of the Environment and Forestry also froze the operations of 14 companies and said they face closure if they do not meet the government’s demands over fire prevention.
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## waltky (Feb 19, 2016)

El Niño peaks but La Niña possible...

*El Niño passes its peak while La Niña is possible this year*
_Fri, 19 Feb 2016 - The El Niño weather phenomenon is set to decline over the next few months but scientists say that a La Niña event could start later this year._


> The El Niño weather phenomenon has reached its peak according to scientists and is set to decline over the next few months.  Researchers say there is a 50:50 chance that it will be replaced by a La Niña event before the end of this summer.  La Niña which involves a cooling of the Pacific Ocean, usually brings wetter conditions to Asia, Africa and Latin America.  These events can typically last twice as long as an El Niño.
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> Warmest January on record
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## waltky (Aug 26, 2016)

Wildfire still burning in Indonesian rainforest...




*Smoke from Indonesian fires hits 'unhealthy' level in Singapore*
_Fri Aug 26, 2016 - Air pollution in Singapore rose to the "unhealthy" level on Friday as acrid smoke drifted over the island from fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said._


> Every dry season, smoke from fires set to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations in Indonesia clouds the skies over much of the region, raising concern about public health and worrying tourist operators and airlines.  The 24-hour Pollution Standards Index (PSI), which Singapore's NEA uses as a benchmark, rose as high as 105 in the afternoon. A level above 100 is considered "unhealthy".  The NEA said it planned a "daily haze advisory" as "a burning smell and slight haze were experienced over many areas" in Singapore.  Indonesia has been criticized by its northern neighbors and green groups for failing to end the annual fires, which were estimated to cost Southeast Asia's largest economy $16 billion in 2015, and left more than half a million Indonesians suffering from respiratory ailments.
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## waltky (Sep 19, 2016)

Forest burning may have led to 100,000 premature deaths...




*Indonesia haze may have led to 100,000 premature deaths, says report*
_Mon, 19 Sep 2016 - Haze caused by deliberately started forest fires in Indonesia may have led to 100,000 premature deaths, according to new US research._


> More than 90% were in Indonesia itself, with the rest in Malaysia and Singapore, concluded the study by Harvard and Columbia universities.  The pollution occurs each year, and is caused by the burning of forests and peat lands to clear them for crops.  The smoke drifts across South East Asia. In 2015 it lasted several months.  Indonesia has repeatedly been accused of not doing enough to tackle the problem, but says it has stepped up efforts to prevent the fires being started.  The study, to be published in Environmental Research Letters, used satellite data and computer modelling of health effects to determine the statistical probability of early deaths.
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## waltky (Dec 7, 2016)

Indonesia looking to cut fires and carbon emissions...




*Indonesia takes new step to fight forest losses, fires*
_Thu, Dec 08, 2016 - Indonesia has bolstered its moratorium on converting peat swamps to plantations in a move a conservation research group said would help prevent annual fires and substantially cut the country’s carbon emissions if properly implemented._


> Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s amendment to the moratorium regulation, which was issued on Monday, expands it to cover peatlands of any depth and orders companies to restore areas they have degraded.  Indonesia’s move was welcomed by Norway, which in 2010 pledged US$1 billion to help the country stop cutting down its prized tropical forests, but has released little of it.  As a result of the expanded regulation, Norway said it would give US$25 million to Indonesia to fund restoration of drained peatlands and another US$25 million once an enforcement and monitoring plan is ready.  Draining of peat swamps by palm oil and pulp wood companies is a big contributor to destruction of tropical forests in Indonesia and the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
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> The land conversion worsens annual dry season fires that release huge amounts of carbon stored in the peat.  Many of the fires are deliberately set to clear land of its natural vegetation.  Indonesia has made major commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect its tropical forests, which are home to critically endangered species, but deforestation has continued largely unabated.  A study in the journal Nature Climate Change estimated that as of 2012, Indonesia was clearing 840,000 hectares of forests per year, more than any other country.  World Resources Institute forests expert Arief Wijaya on Tuesday said that the strengthened moratorium is particularly important for protecting Indonesia’s Papua region as the “last frontier of natural forests” still largely untouched by exploitation.
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