Transboundary haze in Southeast Asia

This case study explores how transboundary haze in Southeast Asia has become a recurring intermittent problem in the region in recent decades. It doesn’t bring economies to a halt. Rather, it is a “slow onset” problem that is particularly suffered by the vulnerable.

The key messages of this case study, are:

• Transboundary haze in Southeast Asia, a region of approx. 660 million people, caused by forest fire burning for land clearance is an intermittent problem in the region.
• In 2023 and 2024 a haze disaster was avoided, perhaps by luck more than anything else. 
• Putting a stop to regional haze requires the right mindset to change the economics of land management, including opportunities for people to develop new sustainable livelihoods.