Peatland Fires

Fires in Indonesia that spread a smoky haze over Southeast Asia this year burned at least 1.6 million hectares of mostly degraded land and carbon-rich peatlands, data from a respected research group showed on Monday.

Divisions have started to appear between Indonesian government ministries over how to tackle peatland fires that have caused choking smoke to spread across much of Southeast Asia.

The thick haze that's blanketed much of Southeast Asia for the last month carries the ashy remains of Indonesian forests and peatlands - burnt in many cases to clear land for producing palm oil, the world's most popular edible oil. It's an annual occurrence dating back decades, and this year it's particularly bad: According to one report, the 2015 ...

Fires in Indonesia that spread a smoky haze over Southeast Asia this year burned at least 1.6 million hectares of mostly degraded land and carbon-rich peatlands, data from a respected research group showed on Monday.

Divisions have started to appear between Indonesian government ministries over how to tackle peatland fires that have caused choking smoke to spread across much of Southeast Asia.

The thick haze that's blanketed much of Southeast Asia for the last month carries the ashy remains of Indonesian forests and peatlands - burnt in many cases to clear land for producing palm oil, the world's most popular edible oil. It's an annual occurrence dating back decades, and this year it's particularly bad: According to one report, the 2015 ...