Indonesia Wildfires Cause Global Emissions Surge and Widespread School Closures

Indonesia is experiencing its most intense wildfire season in 11 years, with fire emissions from September 1 to September 7 reaching 19.7 million metric tons. According to the European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring service, these emissions made Indonesia the world leader in fire emissions for that week, accounting for more than a third of the global total and overtaking Russia. The surge is attributed to a super El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season that have caused punishing droughts in Kalimantan and Sumatra. While emissions were 273 percent higher than the seasonal average, they remained lower than the levels recorded during a similar El Nino event in 2015.

The resulting toxic haze has created a regional health crisis, with smoke drifting as far as the Philippines and Malaysia. In Indonesia, the pollution has forced more than 1.4 million students across the country to face disruptions. In Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province, schools from kindergarten to junior high switched to remote learning on Wednesday to protect children from acute respiratory infections. This measure affected over 250,000 students across 1,030 schools.

Reporting on the event differed by focus. A center left source framed the crisis as a global environmental emergency by emphasizing carbon dioxide readings and emission intensity. A center right source framed the crisis as a public health and infrastructure issue, focusing on school closures and the regional spread of haze.