Between about June and October, more than 100,000 fires burned down millions of hectares of fragile forest lands.
There were human and animal fatalities, and the economic damage was estimated to be more than $15bn (£10bn).
For more than 20 years these fires have been an annual occurrence, as farmers and agricultural companies clear Indonesia's forests and carbon-rich peatlands to make way for pulpwood, palm oil and rubber plantations, or for smaller scale subsistence farming.
But the fires have been getting gradually worse. Last year, the fires were so bad, that parts of Indonesia, together with cities across South East Asia, were blanketed in a thick toxic haze for weeks at a time.
Half a million people were hospitalised due to the haze, and it was estimated that in those five months about 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon - roughly equivalent to what Brazil produces in a year - had been released into the atmosphere.
Indonesia promised that it would do more to prevent the fires from returning in 2016.
But the fires are back already - and now burning out of control. Full story...
Related posts:
There were human and animal fatalities, and the economic damage was estimated to be more than $15bn (£10bn).
For more than 20 years these fires have been an annual occurrence, as farmers and agricultural companies clear Indonesia's forests and carbon-rich peatlands to make way for pulpwood, palm oil and rubber plantations, or for smaller scale subsistence farming.
But the fires have been getting gradually worse. Last year, the fires were so bad, that parts of Indonesia, together with cities across South East Asia, were blanketed in a thick toxic haze for weeks at a time.
Half a million people were hospitalised due to the haze, and it was estimated that in those five months about 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon - roughly equivalent to what Brazil produces in a year - had been released into the atmosphere.
Indonesia promised that it would do more to prevent the fires from returning in 2016.
But the fires are back already - and now burning out of control. Full story...
Related posts:
- Scientists warn of health damage from Indonesia's haze fires...
- Indonesia is burning. So why is the world looking away?
- Indonesia's deforestation-fueled wildfires may be world's worst climate crisis...
- Indonesia’s haze disaster could trigger reform...
- Indonesia prepares warships to evacuate 'haze' refugees...
- MUI calls for Indonesian Muslims to pray for rain to tackle haze ...
- South East Asia haze: Deadly cost of Indonesia's burning land...
- Emergency nursery set up in Indonesian town amid hazardous haze...
- Mayor of Indonesian city orders all babies to be evacuated due to extreme...
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