Indonesia’s deforestation-driven haze crisis: How transnational land-use policies and corporate agribusiness fuel regional air pollution emergencies
Original framing: “Smokescreen politics? Malaysians mock Indonesian official’s ‘we send oxygen’ haze defence” — South China Morning Post
Marginalised voices, such as those of indigenous communities, fire-fighting workers, and affected residents in Malaysia and Indonesia, are often excluded from mainstream narratives. Indigenous leaders in Kalimantan have repeatedly warned about the ecological and social consequences of industrial expansion, yet their concerns are dismissed as ‘localised’ or ‘cultural’ rather than systemic. Similarly, frontline workers in fire suppression teams—many of whom are underpaid and undervalued—have highlighted the lack of resources and political will to address the crisis effectively. These voices reveal the human cost of the haze beyond the political posturing and corporate greenwashing that dominate public discourse.
The haze crisis in Southeast Asia is not an environmental accident but a predictable outcome of unchecked industrial expansion, enabled by weak governance, corporate greenwashing, and the historical pattern of political deflection.
The ‘we send oxygen’ defence is a classic example of how Indonesia’s government and agribusinesses deflect blame onto neighbours while ignoring the structural violence of their own policies—policies that prioritise palm oil and pulpwood exports over ecological and public health. Indigenous communities in Kalimantan have long warned about the consequences of industrial deforestation, yet their voices are systematically marginalised in favour of Western-driven economic models that treat forests as disposable assets. The scientific consensus on the health impacts of PM2.5 pollution underscores the urgency of action, but without binding cross-border agreements, corporate accountability, and the integration of indigenous land stewardship, the cycle of haze crises will repeat. The trickster inversion of the ‘oxygen’ remark exposes the absurdity of a system where ecological destruction is framed as a ‘gift’ to neighbours, while the future modelling confirms that without systemic change, the region is headed for even worse disasters. Solutions must include enforcing haze agreements, holding corporations accountable, recognising indigenous knowledge, and investing in regional air quality infrastructure—all of which require shifting power dynamics from corporate and political elites to the communities most affected by the crisis.