Smoke-haze: A Transboundary Air Pollution Issue in Southeast Asia - Foresight Brief

This document examines the persistent issue of transboundary smoke-haze pollution in Southeast Asia, tracing its causes, impacts, and regional responses. It outlines how human activities such as land clearing for agriculture, particularly slash-and-burn practices on peatlands, combined with natural phenomena like El Niño, drive recurring haze events that peak during the southwest monsoon. The resulting air pollution has significant health, environmental, and economic consequences, including respiratory illnesses, ecosystem degradation, and billions in losses to sectors like transport and tourism. The brief details ASEAN’s coordinated efforts, including the 1997 Regional Haze Action Plan, the 2002 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, and the 2016 roadmap toward a haze-free region by 2020, alongside national measures like Singapore’s 2014 Transboundary Haze Pollution Act and Indonesia’s peatland restoration initiatives. It concludes with recommendations emphasizing stronger enforcement, political commitment, data-driven policymaking, and public engagement to effectively mitigate future haze events.