Will Covid 19 Fan The Flames Of Southeast Asia S Haze Problem


Last year’s forest fires, which caused a diplomatic spat between Indonesia and Malaysia, were the worst since 2015. (AFP pic)KUALA LUMPUR: Weak enforcement of restrictions to curb Covid-19 infections in rural Indonesia, coupled with farmers opting for cheap ways to clear land, could see a repeat of the forest fires and smoke that choked Southeast Asia last year, environmentalists say
The annual haze season, from around June until October, caused airports and schools to close in 2019. The burning of an estimated 16,000 square km of land cost Indonesia US$5.2 billion in economic losses, according to the World Bank
More than 900,000 people also reported respiratory illnesses
Like many other countries, this year Indonesia is also tackling the new coronavirus, but the government has been criticised for its slow response and low testing rates. Jakarta officials expect infections to peak at about 100,000 by June
“My concern is that social distancing and lockdowns may not be monitored and implemented as strictly in the rural areas,” said Helena Varkkey, a lecturer at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur
Deploying government personnel to enforce the lockdown rules may pull them away from watching forests and farmers to prevent illegal land-clearing, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation
Indonesian farmers burn huge swathes of forest and peatland each year to make way for oil-palm plantations and other agricultural expansion, creating a vast haze of smoke that clouds the skies over large parts of the region
Last year’s forest fires, which caused a diplomatic spat between Indonesia and Malaysia, were the worst since 2015
Varkkey, who has researched the haze problem for more than 15 years, said despite coronavirus-linked restrictions on movement, annual forest fires in and around Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai had still occurred over the last month
In the southern part of Southeast Asia, the traditional burning season falls later in the year, “but if the situation in Thailand is anything to go by, I am not optimistic that Covid-19 will have any positive effect on reducing haze”, she added
Double threatAs coronavirus lockdowns close restaurants, analysts expect prices and demand for palm oil – used in everything from instant noodles to confectionery – to fall
Prices have dropped about 30% since January
Despite this, palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s top two growers, have largely remained open through the health crisis
“If the industry continues putting production interests above environmental security, then the fire crisis may well be as bad or worse than 2019,” warned Rusmadya Maharuddin, forest campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia
Falls in palm oil prices – if short-term – may not affect the sector too much, Varkkey said. But the concern is that if palm growers continue to expand, they may prefer cheaper clearing methods, including fire, to cut costs
At the same time, the Indonesian government is diverting spending to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, which is putting a huge strain on the country’s health system. That would be exacerbated if the 2020 haze season was particularly bad
Earlier this month, the environment ministry cut its budget for 2020 by about US$101 million, a 17% reduction on spending originally planned for the year, local media reported
The world’s fourth most populous country of more than 260 million people, has recorded about 7,000 virus infections so far
That is Southeast Asia’s second highest tally after neighbouring city-state, Singapore, though some estimates put the figure far higher. Indonesia’s Covid-19 death toll of about 600 is the highest in East Asia after China
“We are facing a global health crisis with a virus that affects people’s lungs,” said Maharuddin
“Companies and governments have a crucial and unprecedented responsibility to take steps to prevent the deadly haze from the forest fires, as it will only double the threat to the health of millions across the region,” he added
Indonesia’s environment ministry could not be reached for comment. The country’s weather agency has forecast that the dry season will not be as extreme as in 2019, which may help ease the risk of fires spreading
After the 2015 fires, Indonesian President Joko Widodo set up an agency to restore more than two million hectares of damaged peatland and imposed a moratorium on new oil palm concessions
But green activists warned that the cuts to environmental funding, the slow rate of peatland restoration and planned new laws aimed at reducing red tape and boosting investment would limit Indonesia’s ability to tackle forest fires this year
“This time-bomb will lead to major fires causing haze from damaged peatlands,” said Riko Kurniawan, executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment in Riau, a province on Sumatra island with a large expanse of peatland
“Without serious work by the government, the risk of fires in 2020 will be high,” said Teguh Surya, executive director of the Madani Sustainability Foundation, an Indonesian green group. - FMT

Artikel ini hanyalah simpanan cache dari url asal penulis yang berkebarangkalian sudah terlalu lama atau sudah dibuang :

http://malaysiansmustknowthetruth.blogspot.com/2020/04/will-covid-19-fan-flames-of-southeast.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MalaysiansMustKnowTheTruth+%28Malaysians+Mu

Kempen Promosi dan Iklan
Kami memerlukan jasa baik anda untuk menyokong kempen pengiklanan dalam website kami. Serba sedikit anda telah membantu kami untuk mengekalkan servis percuma aggregating ini kepada semua.

Anda juga boleh memberikan sumbangan anda kepada kami dengan menghubungi kami di sini
How Covid 19 Will Forever Change Airlines And The Way We Fly

How Covid 19 Will Forever Change Airlines And The Way We Fly

papar berkaitan - pada 25/4/2020 - jumlah : 270 hits
Higher fares fewer routes pre flight health checks and less free food The Covid 19 coronavirus pandemic is ushering in a new era of air travel A seismic shift is underway as the world s airlines reassess their operations and how they will l...
Alunan Lagu The Beatles Iringi Pesakit Covid 19 Di Hospital

Alunan Lagu The Beatles Iringi Pesakit Covid 19 Di Hospital

papar berkaitan - pada 14/4/2020 - jumlah : 221 hits
Pelbagai usaha telah dilakukan oleh kakitangan perubatan untuk membunuh kebosanan dan keletihan selepas bekerja keras untuk merawat pesakit COVID 19 Ada sesetengah dari mereka yang merakam video TikTok dengan gaya lucu ada juga yang cukup h...
Does Dap Plan To Block The Rm250 Billion Covid 19 Stimulus Package

Does Dap Plan To Block The Rm250 Billion Covid 19 Stimulus Package

papar berkaitan - pada 18/4/2020 - jumlah : 203 hits
So that is the real issue DAP wants to debate the RM250 billion Covid 19 stimulus package But what is there to debate Does DAP want it approved or does DAP want it rejected If DAP wants it rejected then just stand up and say so You can do t...
The Edge Financial Daily Ceases Print Edition As Covid 19 Hits Malaysia S Media Industry

The Edge Financial Daily Ceases Print Edition As Covid 19 Hits Malaysia S Media Industry

papar berkaitan - pada 21/4/2020 - jumlah : 273 hits
Leading business and financial publication The Edge Financial Daily today published its final print edition after 13 years before it goes fully digital tomorrow In an announcement published on FD The Edge Media Group publisher and group chi...
Discovery Channel S Covid 19 Documentaries Making Sense Of The Pandemic That Has Sparked A Global Emergency

Discovery Channel S Covid 19 Documentaries Making Sense Of The Pandemic That Has Sparked A Global Emergency

papar berkaitan - pada 17/4/2020 - jumlah : 287 hits
23 January 2020 is a date which will go down in history It is the day where China took a historic step to quarantine an entire city of over 11 million people in a bid to stop a virus with the devastating potential to threaten the globe But ...
A Mortal Sin To Steal Covid 19 Aid For The Poor

A Mortal Sin To Steal Covid 19 Aid For The Poor

papar berkaitan - pada 14/4/2020 - jumlah : 247 hits
A few days after some five star hotels in the Klang Valley had agreed to let their premises be used as quarantine centres a friend suggested that it will be interesting to find out how much these high end hotels are charging He added We sho...
Dokumentari The Next Pandemic Bill Gates Yang Telah Meramal Kemunculan Covid 19

Dokumentari The Next Pandemic Bill Gates Yang Telah Meramal Kemunculan Covid 19

papar berkaitan - pada 13/4/2020 - jumlah : 450 hits
Jika anda tidak tahu bagaimana Bill Gates telah terlibat dalam teori konspirasi tentang kemunculan wabak Covid 19 yang telah membunuh ribuan orang diseluruh dunia maka kita perlu kembali pada bulan Oktober 2019 yang lalu Pada bulan tersebut...
The Virus Not Politicians Will Determine When Economies Can Safely Reopen

The Virus Not Politicians Will Determine When Economies Can Safely Reopen

papar berkaitan - pada 12/4/2020 - jumlah : 243 hits
In January before Covid 19 had become a global pandemic a doctor from Tennessee told me something wise It s all about the virus said Dr Mark Denison director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School o...
We Can T Return To The Pre Covid 19 World Even After Mco Lifted

We Can T Return To The Pre Covid 19 World Even After Mco Lifted

papar berkaitan - pada 14/4/2020 - jumlah : 257 hits
MP SPEAKS Today marks the end of the four week old movement control order and the beginning of the second extension of the MCO until April 28 The most important lessons of the MCO are that Malaysians must learn to live with Covid 19 virus f...
Beli Rumah Lebih Jimat Dengan Kempen Hartanah Bumiputera Matrix

Natural Gas Fuel Not A Hazard

How Car Centric Planning Is Killing Malaysians

Masjid Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah

Khutbah Jumat Jumadil Awal Tangis Ibnu Rawahah Jelang Perang Mu Tah

15 Playful Midcentury Kids Room Ideas For A Retro Vibe

Bersatu Man Demands Dnb Exit Strategy For U Mobile

Tattoos Raised And Itchy


echo '';
Senarai Lagu Tugasan Konsert Minggu 1 Gegar Vaganza 2024 Musim 11

Info Dan Sinopsis Drama Berepisod Dhia Kasyrani Slot Akasia TV3

Biodata Terkini Reshmonu Peserta Gegar Vaganza 2024 Musim 11 GV11 Penyanyi Lagu Hey Waley

Gegar Vaganza 2024 GV 11 Hadiah Tiket Peserta Juri Format Pemarkahan Dan Segala Info Tonton Live Di Astro Ria Dan Sooka

6 Janji Donald Trump Kalau Dia Naik Jadi Presiden Semula


Flexibility In Business Operations

Semua Ni Sebab Chagee

Takwim Persekolahan Sesi 2025 2026

Buat Sendiri Roti Arab Lembut Gebu Sekali Hadap Boleh Habis 3 Keping

Sihir Ep1

Biodata Hael Husaini 2 Kali Juara Ajl Dan Perjalanan Dalam Industri Seni