HUMAN
A NASA satellite image showing the extent of the haze in Borneo on 15 September 2019.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Southeast_Asian_haze (Accessed 17/10/2020)
Forest fire can be deadly, destroying home, wildlife habitat, and polluting the air with emissions harmful to human health. If wildfires continue to happen, human will face the long-term health effect.
Smoke from the fires do not only force people to flee from their home, but also threaten the lung health of people who live far away. Wildfire smoke is really harmful to the lungs, especially for children, older adults, and those with asthma, or a chronic heart disease.
One of the many pollutants found in wildfire smoke is particle pollution which are so small that they can enter the lungs. Particle pollution triggers asthma attacks, heart attacks, and strokes.
In Indonesia, more than 900,000 people reported respiratory illnesses.
Additionally, thick smoke reduces visibility, causing an increase traffic accidents, and a lack of public health service. The treatment is not typically received for smoke-related ailments.
ECONOMIC
Massive forest fires take a large economic toll on communities through decreased tourism, property losses, and even change in the long-term structure of the local economy. Economic losses affecting rural villages can amount to as much as half of city income. Haze from the fires affects transport and economic activities for millions people, resulting in more money of economic losses. Clearly, the economic losses related to uncontrolled fires are contributing to poverty and restraining development in the region.
Indonesia deforestation
ENVIRONMENT
The forest fires do not only damage local habitat, they are also affecting itself in a significant way that will last long. Climate change is considered very likely to have contributed to the unprecedented extent and severity of the fires. Even though forest fires can be caused by human activities, climate changes can help fires spread and difficult to stop.
Global warming causes warmer temperature, drier conditions, and more extreme weather patterns which increase the risk of fires and allow them to spread faster and wider. They also contribute to fires become more frequent and more intense. It also lengthens the fire season, drying and heating the forest.
There is a cycle between climate change and forest fires since fires emit a large amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that will continue to warm the planet. It also causes the decrease of vegetation growth by destroying the forests. Since there is less vegetation available to act as a carbon sink, it means that less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is removed. The decrease of forests reduce oxygen, the loss of forest is contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions.
This situation causes the climate change to occur and the loop is continuing again.