Fires have swept through large swaths of peatland forest in the western part of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island since the start of the year, an area that usually sees much smaller, controlled fires.
As India and Pakistan struggled to cope with soaring temperatures this month, experts warn lack of access to cooling tech like AC, fridges and fans will cost lives and livelihoods.
The 2°C global warming scenario is gloomy, but a 1.5°C increase isn't much better. Life for billions of people in the region is still going to get worse, according to the latest studies.
Some plants and animals love fire. Others do not. Science will help figure out which areas to burn, which to hose and how to create resilient ecosystems.
By
Sophie Wilkinson, Tim Curran and Luke Kelly
