As Southeast Asia emerges from two years of COVID-19-induced socioeconomic slowdowns and the dry season begins, governments across the region are warning their citizens to brace themselves for the return of forest-fire haze.
The clock is ticking as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) works to develop a new Haze-Free Roadmap after an independent review found that the vision of the original roadmap, of a “Haze-Free ASEAN by 2020”, has not been fully achieved.
Haze severely disrupts regional economies by reducing productivity and tourism while increasing emergency medical spending. The 2015 haze was estimated to have cost US$16 billion in Indonesia alone, while a less severe episode in 2019 cost an estimated US$5 billion.
