Air quality index readings have been as high as in Pekanbaru, Sumatra -- anything over is unhealthy -- while numbers are fluctuating between unhealthy and very unhealthy in Singapore and Malaysia, depending on the wind. Residents in regions in all three affected countries have been recommended to stay indoors and more than 2, schools have closed across Indonesia and Malaysia, affecting 1.
Singapore has face masks ready for Grand Prix participants and spectators to purchase on the weekend. Diplomatically, the annual fires cause friction, with the Singaporean and Malaysian governments pressuring Indonesia to do more to stop them.
An Indonesian parliamentarian in charge of international relations and the environment, Hamdhani Mukhdar, apologized to both governments at a September ASEAN meeting in Kuala Lumpur, local media reported.
The solution. This year, in a groundbreaking verdict, Indonesia's Supreme court upheld charges against palm oil producer PT Kallista Alam, after the company was accused of illegally burning a large area of protected forest in Aceh, Sumatra in However, despite these harsh measures, forest campaigners say that companies continue to flaunt the law.
Indradi welcomed news of the recennt arrest of seven executives, but said the process to punish companies is too slow, often taking many years, and evidence collection was difficult. Ivan Png, an economist from the National University of Singapore who has studied the fires, said financial incentives were needed to encourage whistleblowers to come forward so that people flouting the rules can be caught. He also called for a certification system to identify safe producers, so consumers can take direct action themselves.
Ultimately, the global cost of the fires is something everyone bears. Indonesia was ranked the world's sixth worst emitter of greenhouse gasses by the WRI in Although the country has prepared a draft document outlining how it will deal with climate change for the global climate change summit being held in Paris in November , there was no mention of peatland protection or fires. Find out more about particulate pollution. Some haze-causing particles are directly emitted to the air.
Others are formed when gases emitted to the air form particles as they are carried many miles from the source of the pollutants. Some of the pollutants which form haze have also been linked to serious health problems and environmental damage. Exposure to very small particles in the air have been linked with increased respiratory illness, decreased lung function, and even premature death.
In addition, particles such as nitrates and sulfates contribute to acid rain formation which makes lakes, rivers, and streams unsuitable for many fish, and erodes buildings, historical monuments, and paint on cars. Skip to main content. Visibility and Haze. Contact Us. Basic Information about Visibility.
And fossil fuel combustion at power plants is the main source of sulfur dioxide pollution. Sulfur dioxide reacts with oxygen to form sulfate aerosols, a. In addition to fossil fuel combustion from electric utility and motor vehicles, haze pollutants can come from oil refineries, steel mills, and other industrial operations.
There are also natural forms of haze such as windblown dust, soot from wildfires, and volcanic emissions, but data clearly shows a link between increased haze and industry. It is bad enough that many of our cities are characterized by frequent poor visibility from all of the heavy industry, power plants, and traffic. Unfortunately, haze can travel far from its source and lower the visibility at even the most secluded natural areas. In the United States, we pride ourselves on our wide-open spaces, but if haze is left unchecked, we will hardly be able to view any of them.
Toxic air claims too many lives across Europe — and seriously compromises the quality of hundreds of thousands more. Air pollution has been conclusively linked with multiple forms of cancer, with respiratory disorders, with premature births — and more recently, scientists have been questioning its effects on our attention span, our mental health and even suggesting it may contribute to dementia.
To get on top of this problem, governments are going to need to think bigger, and quickly. Because across the bloc, they are falling short. In grappling with the pandemic, air pollution has become an unexpectedly major topic.
We have seen city and country leaders vow that city-dwellers must not return to breathing noxious fumes as a day-to-day reality and measures are emerging all over the world to back that promise up.
But tackling national air pollution is bigger than citywide measures. We need actions at all levels and across all sectors. Country leaders need to see the whole picture — and currently, it is hazy.
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