Indonesia's September forest fires emit more CO2 than many countries produce in a week
Copernicus data shows Indonesia's Borneo and Sumatra fires released nearly 20 million tons of CO2 in a single week, driven by El Niño heat and drought.
Forest fires across Indonesia's Borneo and Sumatra intensified in early September, with Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service data showing the blazes released roughly 19.7 million metric tons of CO2 between September 1 and 7 — more than a third of the world's total fire emissions that week, and roughly ten times the per-square-kilometer intensity of fires burning in Russia over the same period.
El Niño conditions are driving the surge, bringing hotter, drier weather to the islands and priming vegetation to burn. "Fires are clearly being triggered far more frequently with El Niño present, with much drier, hotter conditions enabling fires to spread with extreme intensity," Copernicus senior scientist Mark Parrington said.
Air quality has degraded sharply in affected regions: Pontianak, in West Kalimantan, recorded an air quality index of 394 on Wednesday — well past the 300 mark considered hazardous. Indonesia's Environment Ministry said it was closely monitoring the readings.
The current outbreak remains below the 21.7 million tons recorded during a comparable week in 2015, one of the most severe El Niño-driven fire seasons on record, but scientists are watching closely as the dry season continues.
Reporting via iklimhaber.org, citing Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service data: https://www.iklimhaber.org/endonezyadaki-orman-yangini-emisyonlari-ulkelerin-1-haftada-neden-oldugu-emisyonlari-asti/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
