Greenpeace has launched the #StopTheHaze email campaign to urge Indonesian President Joko Widodo to put a stop to peatland-draining in the country—which leads to the annual haze that affects the people of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia itself.
Jokowi made a visit to Sungai Tohor village in Riau to investigate the source of the annual haze shortly after assuming office last year, and witnessed firsthand the peatland draining for palm oil and pulp plantations.
While there, Jokowi joined locals in damming a canal to stop the drainage of a peat forest, and promised to put an end to the problem.
Greenpeace intends to remind Jokowi of his promise and wants to help ensure that total peatland protection policies are in place before the next dry season.
In particular, the email petition campaign calls for the passing of zero deforestation legislation in Indonesia, which will end the practice of draining peatland for palm oil and pulp plantations.
The campaign also calls for Indonesian authorities to extend and strengthen a forest-clearing moratorium which expires next month, and to support the community management of forest areas with agricultural practices that are more ecologically-friendly.
“We believe that the key to stopping the haze is not only a matter of putting out fires but addressing the root cause of the problem—which relates to the mismanagement of natural resources.
“Total protection of peatland ecosystems is needed through strengthening and extending the forest moratorium due to expire in May 2015,” the petition says.
Peatlands are built up from organic matter accumulating over thousands of years, and are normally saturated with water, which makes it near-impossible to set them alight.
But when water is drained from peatlands for commercial agriculture, the organic matter becomes dry and highly susceptible to fires.
According to Greenpeace, over 75% of fire hotspots in Indonesia are peatlands.
It added that protection peatlands is a must, for they can be potentially devastating to human life if all 60 billion tonnes of the carbon within are released into the atmosphere.
As such, it believes that stopping land-draining and clearing in Indonesian peatlands would in turn help to stop the haze.
All signatures will be collected by Greenpeace and delivered to Jokowi, to support him in achieveing this solution for the benefit of everyone in the region.
The petition can be found on the Greenpeace website.
This pitiful as Malaysia and S'pore cannot get Indonesia to end the HAZE caused by open burning and peat fires as they are Asean members. Greenpeace has to step in and petition for us. What is the use of being an Asean member!!! Indonesia as a Asean member must do its duty and not harm and pollute other members'
country health and well-being. Be CONSIDERATE!
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