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http://www.straitstimes.co m/premium/o pinio n/sto ry/tackling-haze-learn-the-swedes-20130823

Tackling haze: Learn from the Swedes

By Asit Biswas And Cecilia To rtajada Fo r The Straits Times

-- ST ILLUST RAT ION: MANNY FRANCISCO T HE issue of transboundary air pollution is back in the spotlight with the return of hazy conditions in several parts of Singapore this week. Transboundary air pollution is air pollution which originates partly or in whole f rom one state but adversely af f ects another state. T he problem f irst made global news in the 1960s, when Swedish and Norwegian scientists noted that increased acidity levels in large numbers of their lakes resulted in f ish and other aquatic lif e dying. Some species were even wiped out. Acid rain was the culprit and the source was located outside the Scandinavia region: f rom the United Kingdom, Ruhr Valley of then West Germany, and the heavily polluting countries of Eastern Europe. Acid rain is produced by sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere reacting with the water droplets in clouds. T he chemical produced returns to Earth as sulphuric or nitric acid in rain. T he early solution of building taller chimneys f or f actories emitting industrial pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides only dispersed the pollution over wider and longer distances. Sweden then took the issue to the United Nations. In 1979, a convention on long-range transboundary air pollution was adopted in Geneva. It entered into f orce in 1983 and has since been ratif ied by 51 UN Economic Commission f or Europe members. T his f irst international legally binding instrument to deal with transboundary air pollution has been hailed as a success. Between 1980 and 2005, sulphur dioxide emissions declined by more than 75 per cent, nitrogen oxides by 30 per cent and volatile organic compounds by 40 per cent. Countries like Sweden and Norway no longer worry that acid rain will harm their lakes or f orests. In Asean's backyard T HE haze problem in South-east Asia is almost of a similar vintage as Sweden's. But so f ar, Asean has not proven as ef f ective in dealing with it. T he haze has its origins in f orest f ires in Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan provinces. Its impact is f elt across borders. In the 1970s and 1980s, the health and economic implications of the haze problem were neither well known nor properly appreciated. By 1995, haze was deemed a serious regional environmental health issue, prompting an Asean Environment Ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur to discuss transboundary air pollution. But the situation did not improve. In 1997, f orest f ires in Kalimantan and Sumatra f uelled serious haze in Malaysia and Singapore. T he Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit a "very unhealthy" level of 226. Six countries and some 60 million to 70 million people were af f ected. T he cost of the 1997 haze to Singapore's economy was estimated to be US$300 million, and to the region, US$9 billion. T he haze returned with a vengeance this year. On June 21, the three-hour PSI in Singapore reached a new peak of 401.

Of f icials f rom Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and T hailand have held several meetings to discuss the problem. But serious challenges prevent a quick resolution. For one thing, the f ires are caused by f armers who use the "slash and burn" method to clear land f or oil palm, rubber and plantation f orestry. Last year, Indonesia exported US$17.9 billion (S$22.75 billion) worth of palm oil, and around f ive million Indonesians depend on this industry f or a living. It is now evident that the slash and burn method is being practised by both small f armers and large plantations. It will be challenging to make a poor f armer understand that his land-clearing method is causing pollution and respiratory problems in distant lands, let alone consider alternatives. Large plantations are more interested in maximising prof its than sustainable agriculture. Corruption is also rif e in the issuing of land clearance permits and the enf orcement of existing laws. It is highly unlikely the haze problem will be solved overnight. Indonesia's hands are tied ASEAN'S approach towards solving transboundary air pollution dif f ers markedly f rom Sweden's strategy. Sweden documented through extensive research the damage wrought by acid rain to its economy and environment. It then aggressively disseminated this inf ormation through scientif ic papers, the media, relevant inter-governmental f ora, and through activist environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs). T he problem was almost f ully resolved by the early 1990s. In sharp contrast, Asean takes a "sof tly, sof tly" approach, in line with its non-intervention culture. In 2002, it adopted an agreement on Transboundary Haze that came into f orce in 2003. T he pact requires parties to prevent burning of f orests, and to provide inf ormation and mutual help. Indonesia, f rom where the haze originates, has not ratif ied the pact. It will try again to get its Parliament to ratif y it next year. Having advised several countries on transboundary resources management issues, we f eel that even af ter Indonesia has ratif ied the agreement, its impact on controlling the haze will be limited. Several serious structural problems in Indonesia will have to be solved. First, there are at least three Indonesian laws that prohibit open burning and clearing of f orests. But not one major group has been successf ully prosecuted and penalised f or violating the existing laws. Enf orcement of laws is thus a problem. Second, policies and activities of dif f erent agencies are not properly coordinated. At the central level, the Environment Ministry is responsible f or haze, but concessions f or land clearance are granted by other ministries like Agriculture and Forestry. Decentralisation has weakened control and oversight f rom the centre. Local communities and individuals act mostly with limited knowledge of the directives f rom the central and provincial authorities. It is now a cocktail of overlapping and even conf licting responsibilities that cannot be easily reversed. T hree-step action plan GIVEN all this, we propose three immediate steps f or the countries concerned. First, apart f rom going af ter errant large-scale f arms producing palm oil, the main emphasis should be placed on inf luencing major buyers and pressuring them to buy only f rom the producers of sustainable palm oil.

T hese companies are well known and many have already signed the UN Global Compact pledge which stipulates environmental responsibility. One commitment is that "activities on our yard should not cause harm to the environment of our neighbours". Any purchase of environmentally tainted palm oil will pose a major reputational risk f or these companies. T his is more ef f ective than going af ter the producers who set f ire to the land. If the main buyers actively boycott the of f ending producers, the problem can be promptly controlled. Second, governments should enlist the help of activist social and environmental NGOs in the region. Unlike most governments, they are also more media-savvy, which will help to raise public awareness. T hird, invite academic and research institutions to conduct def initive studies on the economic, social, environmental and health costs of the annual haze, including in Indonesia. We need reliable estimates of the number of people af f ected regionally, and the f uture implications if the haze continues unabated. An important reason f or the Swedish success was persuading its neighbours to control sulphur emissions, based on incontrovertible scientif ic evidence on the extent of the economic loss and impact on its ecosystem and environment. Sadly, similar authoritative research on the impact of haze in our region is mostly missing. stopinion@sph.com.sg Professor Asit Biswas is Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and a former senior adviser of the first two heads of the United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya, on transboundary resource issues during 1972-1992. Dr Cecilia Tortajada is the president of the T hird World Centre for Water Management, Mexico, and has worked extensively on transboundary resource issues.