It 'been called the catastrophe of the century. In Sumatra, Borneo, and even in neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, smoke is a dense fog obscuring the sky. Schools are closed, over 43 million people have been exposed to smoke from the wildfires, with over half a million cases of acute respiratory tract infections recorded, that have killed 19 people so far. Entire communities displaced, children evacuated on warships to bring the to fresh air. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has labeled the situation "a crime against humanity of extraordinary proportions."

… it is a hell. In this hell precious rainforests, home to unique species such as the orangutan, are burning, while millions of tons of carbon are being released into the atmosphere. Forest fires Indonesia are on track to release more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire US economy this year.  

Most of the fires are fueled by dried peat, which burns like coal. When peat forests are drained to convert them into plantations, the peat become prone to fire. In the peat soil, fire can expand for kilometers in the subsoil, and the fire is very difficult to extinguish. This is the result of the dramatic expansion of pulp and palm oil plantations in the peat-forests.  Indonesian NGO Eyes on the Forest recently released maps and analysis maps and analysis detailing the fires currently burning on APP and supplier plantations. Four APP suppliers have received a “Preventive Measures Notice” from the Government of Singapore for potential violations of Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, while some of them are being investigated by the Indonesian authorities.

Una coalizione di associazioni ambientaliste e per i diritti umani indonesiane ha inviato una lettera aperta al A coalition of Indonesian NGOs sent an open letter to the government and to international buyers of pulp and paper and palm oil from Indonesia. “It is now more than 100 days that people in Sumatra and Kalimantan suffered from uncontrollable haze” says the letter. The NGOs call all consumers, purchasers and investors of the companies involved in forest fires such as APP, APRIL, GAR, WILMAR, and CARGIL to stop all cooperation and or stop using their products, until there is a proven improvement and evaluation of their commitments by independent parties. It is important to assist these companies to seriously carry out their commitment to zero deforestation, and protect Indonesian community from the dangers of forest and peat fires in the future..