. The region has enjoyed relatively good air quality for the last few years due to the slowdown of land-use change during COVID-19, and the wetter conditions during the La Nina years.
The problem of transboundary haze pollution is exacerbated during extreme drought periods such as the 1997 to 1998 and 2013 to 2015 El Nino years. The dry weather combined with strong winds carried the haze across the region. Meteorologists are reportingIn the past week, Indonesian authorities ordered remote learning for schools in Palembang and Jambi cities due to the haze pollution. Last Friday,in the western part of Peninsula Malaysia and Sarawak, blaming transboundary haze from Indonesia .
Southeast Asia is home to about 24 million hectares of peatlands, or 40 per cent of the world’s total. According to the UNEP, peatlands cover only 3 per cent of the world’s surface but hold almost 550 billion tonnes of carbon. According to the World Resources Institute, Indonesia emitted 1.62 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2015, surpassing Russia to become the world’s fourth largest emitter. There are also other externalities: School closures, deaths, respiratory and other health costs as well as aviation, economic and tourism disruptions.
It is now time to go beyond the diplomatic and academic space and get on the ground to persuade communities, corporations, and governments that it is in their best interests to conserve peatlands. Put simply, every effort at keeping our store of carbon sequestered in our peatlands will help in our climate and haze mitigation.
Through this, the UK has been registering some 200 peatland projects in its national registry and tracking the total peatland area restored and total amount of emission reductions using blended public and private financing. The Code assures investors of good practice and replaces the need for individual project audits.