Forest Fires and Regional Haze in Southeast Asia
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
The fires and resulting air pollution which afflicted Southeast Asia in 1997 and 1998 were a major environmental disaster affecting the livelihood and health of the people of the region, destroying forest and wildlife resources, releasing greenhouse gases and having serious implications for the rich biodiversity of the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The fires and haze became a subject of regional and international concern; they attracted considerable attention from the media, and were the subject of research by governments, academics and non-government organisations. Forest Fires and Regional Haze in Southeast Asia summarises and analyses this information I a single reference work.
Individual chapters have been contributed by international experts and cover a range of issues. The relation of the El Niño effect to droughts and fires is discussed and the history of fires in the region is outlined. Although the fires were associated with long periods of drought, in most cases they had human causes, and the land and forest management policies responsible for them are also identified. Another chapter describes the important role remote sensing played in monitoring and locating the fires and haze. Other contributions are concerned with the chemistry of haze, the long-range transport of pollutants and their modelling, the effects on forest ecosystems, and the implications for global climate change. Health impacts of the air pollution are discussed and the costs in economic terms are analysed. The inability of the Indonesian government to control the fires, the public responses to pollution problems and efforts at international cooperation are also discussed, as is the portrayal of the issues in the media.
The two editors are specialists in environmental management and air pollution respectively; they are based in Borneo and have had first-hand experience of the fires and haze, together with associated issues. They have brought together a wide range of international expertise and the book is of particular value because of its interdisciplinary nature. It should be a useful reference for a variety of university courses in the physical and social sciences; it will also be a valuable aid to policy makers and should be of interest to the general public in understanding one of the most serious environmental problems of recent years.
Forest Fires and Regional Haze in Southeast Asia,Peter Brimblecombe,Peter Eaton,Miroslav Radojevic,Nova Science Publishers,1560728922,Air,Asia, Southeastern,Environmental Science,Environmental Studies,Environmental aspects,Forest fires,Forests & Forestry,Haze,Nature,Nature/Ecology,Pollution
Discount Books:
Recommended Books