A Reminder of the 2013 Southeast Asian Haze and Who Is to Blame

The gravity of the 2013 Southeast Asian haze resonates with many of us simply because we haven't seen anything so bad ever. While the occasional bad air is not uncommon here because of the wind direction and the slash-and-burn practices that characterise much of the Indonesian agricultural scene, the effects of these practices in 2013 have never been more apparent. It literally took "bad air" to a whole different level.

But for the benefit of those who aren't quite clear what it is about, the 2013 Southeast Asian haze was a haze crisis that affected primarily the Southeast Asian countries during June-July 2013. It was a notorious event in the history of both Singapore and Malaysia for it had caused record high levels of pollution. According to the BBC News (2013), the 3-hour Pollutions Standards Index (PSI) in Singapore had reached a record high of 401 on 21 June 2013, surpassing the previous record of 226 during the 1997 Southeast Asian haze. Any value above that of 300 is hazardous where even healthy persons should take precautionary measures. Here are some pictures of the haze:

Slash-and-burn practices in Riau, Indonesia

Visibility reduced, among other side effects of the 2013 SEA haze

A bleak outlook on the haze.  

When low-level winds from the southeast or southwest during the June-september dry season brings smoke from forests being burned in Sumatra and Borneo islands to clear land for palm plantations, into neighbouring countries is coupled with the lack of rain in the region, health atrocities of the haze, along with the region's displeasure and discomfort are heightened. A longstanding blame game between nations resurfaced, with much of popular media's "hate" being directed at Indonesia as one can imply from this clip from the local mock-umentary, The Noose:

But is it really? Is it fair to accord the blame to an entire nation or would a more realistic accusation centre around particular individuals or organisations instead? Even in Indonesia, according to this CNN article just this year (The Air Pollution that's Choking Asia), "The exchange (between a group of farmers and environmental activists) underscores the long-running debate across southeast Asia about who, exactly, is responsible for Indonesia's peat fires. Farmers and environmental groups often accuse companies, many of which are headquartered in Singapore or Malaysia, of malfeasance. But many companies say such criticism is overblown, and that they have largely reformed their destructive land-clearing practices in recent years through voluntary reform initiatives like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, an industry-led consortium."

Till now, this geopolitical debate is ongoing because blame cannot be accorded quickly nor is there an organisation or entity with sufficient international clout to do so; but fret not, I will address it to the best of my ability in a greater depth in the coming weeks. :)

Clearing the Air (Definitions)

If we are going to spend the next 10 weeks talking about the excessive smog as a contributor of air pollution then we had better clear the air (hah!) with regard to the definitions of these terms.

Air pollution may be defined as any atmospheric conditions in which certain substances are present in such concentrations that they can produce undesirable effects on man and his environment. These substances include gases such as sulfur oxides and hydrocarbons, particulate matter such as smoke and dust, radioactive materials and many others.

Smog is a type of air pollutant that gives rise to what is more commonly recognized as "The Haze". It's more scientific term, "smog" was a portmanteau of the words smoke and fog to refer to smoky fog caused by the burning of coal or forests, photochemical smog, transport emissions and other natural causes like volcanic eruptions where large amounts of sulfur dioxide and particulate matter are released into the atmopshere.

While these definitions function as a good clue-in to the deeper geopolitical issues I'll be embarking on come the following entries, they by no means are exhaustive definitions, for the variety of matter emitted into the atmosphere by natural and anthropogenic sources is so diverse that it is difficult to classify air pollutants and the components of smog neatly.

Happy hump day everyone! Here are some memes to brighten up your Wednesday! But in all seriousness, these memes were social media's reaction to the 2013 Southeast Asian Haze and they portray the scale and severity of the issue at hand. We'll talk more about these responses next time! :)

Hazing (grazing) the Surface on Haze

Skies here in Singapore appear to be clear today but according to the latest PSI updates at http://www.haze.gov.sg/home, the 24-hour PSI apparently stands at 59-64, depending on what region of the country you are in. This is only at a moderate level. Not "good" but definitely not life-threatening per se.

What does this mean for us now and in the future? The 2013 Southeast Asian Haze got the entire region and perhaps the world, on alert with regards to the haze and while that caught us by surprise, we definitely are in a better place to tackle similar issues. Or are we? This is what I'll be exploring in this space over the next 10-11 weeks. How does smog, or what is more commonly known as "The Haze" affect us; where does it originate, why it is so hard to rid of and ultimately what ridding of "The Haze" entails. Don't worry, it isn't all dry academic kibble. There will be videos, pictures and cartoons (if you're the type) too to help us gain a deeper understanding of the geopolitical issue (an interesting one too!) and hopefully, to quote Prof David Taylor, by the evaluation date become haze experts! :)

Can't wait!

Sources of Information:
http://www.haze.gov.sg/home