Seriously, it’s time to take action

Smoke from Indonesia has been a hazard for 22 years and neighbouring countries should not just accept it as a yearly occurrence.

MONDAY marked the 32nd anniversary of the Montreal Protocol.

This international treaty was a landmark agreement that successfully reduced the global production, consumption and emissions of ozone-depleting substances – greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

The World Economic Forum believes that thanks to the treaty, more than 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions were prevented from reaching the atmosphere between 1990 and 2010.

It is estimated that up to two million cases of skin cancer worldwide may be prevented each year by 2030. The global health and economic benefits are expected to amount to US$2.2 trillion (RM9.19 trillion) as a result of averted damages to agriculture, fisheries and materials.

Over 98% of ozone-depleting substances have been phased out globally to date. Without the treaty, the hole in the Antarctic ozone would have been 40% larger in 2013.

The Montreal Protocol was so

successful that the United Nations now marks Sept 16 as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

If the international community could come together in a time of crisis to avoid a potentially lifeharming occurrence, why can’t they do so again?

Specifically, why can’t Asean initiate a new treaty, perhaps calling it the Jakarta Protocol, to ensure that the dreaded haze that is blanketing many parts of South-East Asia is finally confined to the dustbin of history?

There is already a growing impetus to do so. The economic impact of the haze cannot be underestimated. In Singapore alone, researchers say that a bad haze year will cost the republic S$1bil (RM3bil)!

Multiply that with the other Asean nations affected and you get the big picture.

But economics aside, the untold environmental and health implications on the hundreds of millions of people in this region should have already made Asean act decisively. Their 2002 transboundary haze

agreement has proven to be grossly ineffective.

So, is Asean really that impotent that it cannot act against Indonesia? Yes, let’s not beat around the bush. Since 1997, the slash-and-burn practices in Kalimantan and Sumatra have been the main reason the haze has blanketed our skylines.

No matter how much Indonesia tries to divert attention or put the blame on others, the fact is that our neighbour isn’t doing enough to stop these hotspots or forest fires from breaking out.

These fires are man-made, NOT an act of God. Prevention is the answer because no amount of cloud seeding on our part will stop the haze from reoccurring.

Indonesia has already mobilised tens of thousands of soldiers and volunteers to help put out these blazes, but what are they really doing to prevent slash-and-burn farming practices, the main cause of forest fires that in turn lead to haze?

If it is true that plantation owners in Sumatra and Kalimantan – Malaysian companies included –

are behind these practices, then throw the book at them. Shut the plantations down. This will potentially affect thousands of jobs, but how can you compare this action with the misery that the haze has wrought on millions of people?

At some point, the threat of sanctions against Indonesia will have to be considered. Other nations in the region cannot just sit back and accept that the haze is going to be a yearly occurrence and something we have to get used to. It’s been 22 years now and this has to stop.

Back home, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has predicted rain this week and next week, which should bring temporary relief.

The department will also continue with cloud-seeding operations to mitigate the effects of the haze, but again, this will only bring temporary relief.

The Malaysian health authorities have already called on organisers to postpone outdoor events because of the unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) levels. And on Wednesday, the Selangor Disaster Management and

Relief Committee ordered all schools to be closed yesterday and today. Airports too have experienced disruption to flights.

There are also concerns for the region’s biggest event this month: the Singapore F1, which is due to take place from today to Sunday in the city-state. API readings have touched unhealthy levels there and authorities have warned that if the haze causes visibility, public health or operational issues, they would have to make a collective decision regarding the event.

As it is, tourists cannot be faulted for delaying or cancelling their travel plans to Singapore or Malaysia, for that matter.

They would certainly feel shortchanged with the promise of blue skies and sunny weather, only to be greeted by a gloomy blanket of smog.

The haze is both an environmental and diplomatic issue but for it to stop, you need community participation. The slash-and-burn tactics in smallholder farming and plantations must come to an end.