Extinguishing a Point of Contention: Examining Transboundary Haze in Southeast Asia

The sun rises above Kuala Lumpur's skyline on a hazy day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 9, 2023. Picture: Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters

In this blog post published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Lauren Mai analyzes the longstanding regional tensions around transboundary haze in among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the collective efforts made by the ASEAN countries to reduce tensions, and the different approaches to domestic legislation taken by some of the countries on the issue.

After three years of reduced haze due to regional Covid-19 precautions, transboundary haze spiked again in 2023, driven by the El Niño weather phenomenon, impacting Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Dangerous air levels led the countries to consider mandating online classes for students, as well as issuing health advisory notices. The haze’s strong emergence increased regional tensions.

ASEAN nations must enact domestic transboundary haze pollution laws in order to hold one another, as well as themselves, accountable, putting a rest to the great ASEAN haze blame game.