A Decade After Indonesia's Worst Fires, the Haze Persists The return of haze to parts of Indonesia in 2026 is a stark reminder that despite a decade of efforts to address the issue, the problem persists.
While the current fires are smaller than those that ravaged the country in 2015, the underlying causes remain unchanged. A key factor contributing to this stalemate is the economics of land clearing.
A recent World Bank study found that small scale operators in Indonesia can clear land more cheaply by burning it rather than using mechanical or manual methods.