Eco-Business

In Pakistan’s Punjab province, November typically brings a blanket of air pollution that exceeds global health guidelines and endangers both humans and wildlife.

Singpore's central business district on a gloomy day

Fines of up to S$20 million (US$15.6 million), restrictions on business dealings and private assessors paid for by companies are among the changes in an urgent bill to toughen Singapore's haze law.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said Singapore will ratify the treaty creating Asean’s haze coordination centre and work to strengthen the region’s haze agreement when the city-state chairs the bloc in 2027.

Singapore will table changes to its haze law on Tuesday, as Malaysia weighs a law of its own and Jakarta's stance on gas and electricity exports raises questions for the region's energy plans.

By Kelvin Yap

By Rhick Lars Albay

By Kelvin Yap

All #haze News →

With regional diplomacy and Singapore’s haze law offering victims slow responses, Indonesia’s own courts may be the most promising route to compensation. A recent procedural rule eases the hardest part of any haze lawsuit – proving whose fires caused the harm. By Zefanya Albrena Sembiring

As environmental disasters increasingly spill across borders, timely and transparent crisis communication is becoming an important test of Indonesia’s regional leadership and diplomacy. By Jessica Martha

EB Studio Stronger standards and fire prevention can help, but lasting progress requires action across industries, governments and communities. By Aryo Gustomo

The return of smoke haze underscores a sobering reality: while Asean has policies designed to combat it, the problem continues to occur. By Melinda Martinus

By Prakash Kashwan and Ashok Swain

By Suresh Ramasubramanya Iyer and Shivang Agarwal

By Yuming Guo and Wenhua Yu

By Helen Clark and Soumya Swaminathan

All #haze Opinion →

Indonesia has made significant progress in fighting the fires caused by slash-and-burn forestry that choke Southeast Asia annually with toxic air pollution. Eco-Business spoke to the chair of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) about what it will take to put the fires out permanently.

In a bid to prevent another haze crisis, Indonesian agribusiness firms have developed innovative ways to work with communities to stop burning land. Here's how the fire free village programme is tackling the issue, one village at a time.

Scientists from Center for International Forestry Research explain the causes and effects of burning peatlands as they visit Central Kalimantan in Indonesia.

From Greenpeace's drones to NASA's satellites, eyes in the sky are revealing the extent of forest fires in Southeast Asia. The bad news: southern New Guinea is now also a hotspot.

All #haze Videos →

Indonesian environmental campaigners took a novel approach to raising climate awareness by publishing five children's books about the country's environmental issues. This podcast explores their creative process and the public's response.

Asia lags the world in natural catastrophe protection. Part of the problem could be counting extreme weather losses only after they happen, industry insiders tell the Eco-Business podcast.

EB Studio Transboundary haze pollution is back with a vengeance in Southeast Asia. The Eco-Business Podcast talks to RSPO CEO Joseph D'Cruz about what the palm oil sector can do to put out the peatland fires that have burned annually for four decades.

All #haze Podcasts →