Fred Pearce writing in his book The Landgrabbers: The New Fight Over Who Owns The Earth makes the point that "Until the late 1980s Riau was 80 percent jungle. Today the figure is just 30 percent. I've never met Fred but I have met the people of Sungai Tohor who face the consequences of a systematic destruction of peatland … Continue reading Competition for land in Riau Province: Pressure from Oil Palm and Wood Pulp Corporations
Category: Indonesia
Little ground for optimism for the future of forests in #Indonesia’s #Riau Province
Some would argue that the forests of Indonesia were undisturbed until recently but there can never be virgin rainforest once people are present. Beginning as far back 40,000 years ago a process of incremental transformation unfolded along the Indonesian archipelago. This was sustainable change all but invisible yet the very languages and cultures of the … Continue reading Little ground for optimism for the future of forests in #Indonesia’s #Riau Province
Getting Singapore’s eateries and companies to switch to #sustainable palm oil
Here is a short digest of news I’ve written for the PM.Haze October Newletter. A full list of past newsletters can be found on the PM.Haze site. How to fight the haze three times a day The first part of my news analysis addresses an excellent article, How to fight the haze three times a day, written … Continue reading Getting Singapore’s eateries and companies to switch to #sustainable palm oil
Peoples’ Movement to Stop the Haze #GoHazeFree
As I approach my 70th birthday I find a need to consolidate my energy and spend time on those matters that present as the more serious and immediate. One of these matters is the health of our atmosphere and the allied issues of climate change and global warming caused by humanity's over dependence on fossil … Continue reading Peoples’ Movement to Stop the Haze #GoHazeFree
Tackling the smoke #haze problem with alternative sustainable #peatland production
In 2015 I was forced to leave Singapore when the smoke haze, mainly from fires burning on Sumatran peatlands, became so heavy it was unhealthy for me to remain. My exit was easy but the people in Sumatra and Kalimantan, particularly Central Kalimantan, were not so fortunate. All of those in affected areas were living in far … Continue reading Tackling the smoke #haze problem with alternative sustainable #peatland production
#Indonesian #peatlands are torched again as the #burning season gets underway
I wasn't expecting things to deteriorate quite as quickly as they have today. Just in case readers aren't familiar with this Air Quality Index scale, readings are based on several factors but the figure 248 refers to parts per million of particles 2.5 microns in size. These have a capacity to enter the lungs … Continue reading #Indonesian #peatlands are torched again as the #burning season gets underway
Indonesian Foreign Ministry on Smoke Haze
This story is from the Jakarta Post. I reproduce it with this brief comment. I find the reluctance of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry to make meaningful comment about the problem of transboundary haze very puzzling indeed. It leads me to wonder whether there is the will and capacity, at a national level, to tackle this … Continue reading Indonesian Foreign Ministry on Smoke Haze
#BookLaunch of ‘Seen & Unseen: a century of stories from #Asia & the #Pacific’
This is a Chitter Media Production, produced and edited by Adrian Metlenko, camera operators Adrian Metlenko and Evan Darnley-Pentes.
#ElNino’s impact in #Asia looms as one of the most serious and is exacerbated by dams
In China the Mekong River is called the Lancang River. For some years I've been concerned about dam construction on the upper part of the Mekong that flows through China. International Rivers advises that Seven megadams have already been built, and over 20 more are under construction or being planned in Yunnan, Tibet and Qinghai. … Continue reading #ElNino’s impact in #Asia looms as one of the most serious and is exacerbated by dams
A sampler of ‘Seen and Unseen: a century of stories from #Asia & the #Pacific’
Here is an overview of my book Seen and Unseen: a century of stories from Asia & the Pacific with a selection of images reflecting aspects of the stories that unfold in its pages. Both paperback and kindle versions of the book are available through Amazon. Further background on my book is also available on it's website.
Russell Darnley Blog 