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Essay / gh, that's enough. After 18 years of lame excuses and inaction, it is time for the international community to penalize Indonesia for the recurring forest fire problem. It is now clear that national, regional and global accountability is not a priority for the Indonesian government. Background/Cause Since the late 1990s, forest fires have occurred annually in Indonesia, home to the world's largest palm oil industry. It is a lucrative trade that accounts for about 11% of the country's export earnings. Indonesia's national disaster agency acknowledges that 99% of fires are caused by humans: plantation companies and small farmers typically use the slash-and-burn method to clear land before oil palm plantations. How serious is the problem? year?The forest fire that has broken out since July has been identified as the second worst fire recorded in Indonesia since 1997. To date, 19 people have died from haze-related illnesses. More than 500,000 people have reported acute respiratory illnesses. More than 43 million people inhaled toxic fumes and particles from the fires. The problem is not limited to Indonesia alone. Fog also enveloped neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia, causing school closures, flight cancellations and disruptions to businesses. By some estimates, the fires could cost Southeast Asian countries more than $14 billion in environmental, health and other damages.*The fires in Indonesia are now considered the world's worst climate crisis. This has contributed significantly to global carbon emissions, exacerbating climate change. Over the past two months, Indonesia's daily emissions have exceeded those of China for at least 14 days, while its country...... middle of paper ...... fortunately, desperate civilians , neighboring countries and the global community do not do so. I don't have that luxury of time and I'm tired of waiting. These words cannot be trusted either, since other presidents have made somewhat similar commitments before this one. Call to Action Diplomacy and cooperation are no longer the effective mode of engagement with the Indonesian government. The only option left is to penalize them. ASEAN members must send an unequivocal message to Jakarta to cooperate with its neighbors to combat this fog. They must also create mechanisms to impose sanctions and punitive measures on repeat offenders. Importantly, the Transboundary Haze Pollution Agreement needs to be amended to provide member countries with enforcement powers. Palm oil importing countries must hit the Indonesian government where it hurts most, through economic sanctions..
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