Transnational Smog: The Price of Cultivating Palm Oil
By: Allison Kole, Associate The burning season in Indonesia is only a quarter of the way through, yet a haze is already choking the neighboring country of Malaysia.[1] On June 23, Malaysia’s government declared a state of emergency in two districts. Air-pollution there reached a sixteen-year high due to smoke from illegal slash and burn forest clearing for palm oil plantations.[2] This yearly practice takes place in many parts of Indonesia, but for this particular smog, Malaysia blames the burning…