In this episode we discuss the peatland fires in Indonesia and their air quality impact across Southeast Asia.
- Peatlands are a powerful carbon storage ecosystem and their burning releases a large amount of greenhouse gases and air pollutants
- Peat fires are one of the important sources of air pollution locally for Indonesia and for other neighboring countries in Southeast Asia
- What are the drivers of peatland fires and degradation in Asia?
Our guest Prof Puji Lestari is one of Indonesia’s leading experts on air pollution, climate change and forests. She holds a Ph.D in Environmental Engineering from the Illinois Institute Technology in Chicago, USA, and is the head of the Air and Waste Management research group at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the oldest technology-oriented university in Indonesia.
Our interviewer Isabella Suarez is the Southeast Asia analyst for the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). Her research focuses on the region’s trends and sources of air pollution as it relates to energy. Formerly, she was at the World Resources Institute as strategic engagement coordinator for the Global Commission on Adaptation. Find her on Twitter.
Episode notes and references:
- Peatland on fire again as burning season starts in Indonesia
- Characterization of carbonaceous compounds emitted from Indonesian surface and sub surface peat burning
Music by Ritesh Prasanna
Podcast website: https://atmospherictales.com