Key facts
- Indonesia is intensifying efforts to contain wildfires exacerbated by a severe El Niño.
- El Niño conditions are contributing to rapid fire spread, particularly in Borneo's peatlands.
- Global sea surface temperatures have reached record highs, with El Niño levels exceeding those of 2015.
- Carbon emissions from Indonesian fires in the past week were significantly higher than the seasonal average.
- While current damage is not as severe as in 2015, past wildfires have caused significant land destruction and excess deaths.
Indonesia is facing an intensifying wildfire season, with authorities on high alert to prevent a repeat of the devastation seen in 2015, the last time the archipelago experienced severe 'super-El Niño' weather conditions. The country has deployed cloud-seeding and firefighting aircraft to combat fires, particularly in five provinces on Borneo island, which contain extensive fire-prone peatlands.
El Niño, while not a direct cause of fires, acts as a catalyst by increasing heat and dryness, allowing fires to spread more rapidly. Indonesian authorities have stated that the current El Niño index has already surpassed 2015 levels, with climate scientist James Hansen describing the data as 'off the charts.' Global mean sea surface temperatures have also reached a record-breaking 21.1 degrees Celsius.
Wildfires are surging globally due to drought, impacting North America, Eurasia, and the Arctic, with significant damage reported in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Spain, and France. Copernicus' Fire Emissions Watch indicates that carbon emissions from Indonesian fires in the past week reached 17.1 million metric tons, 429% higher than the seasonal average and second only to Russia in intensity.
In July, Indonesian wildfires destroyed nearly 95,000 hectares of land, nearly doubling the damage from the previous six months, with average temperatures reaching a 35-year high. While August hotspots have exceeded 2015 levels, they remain below the October 2015 peak. The scale of destruction has not yet matched the 2015 event, which generated immense carbon dioxide emissions and led to an estimated 100,000 excess deaths due to pollution.
Indonesia's susceptibility to fires is linked to the common practice of burning forests for agricultural land and economic activities, compounded by deforestation that lowers water tables and reduces soil moisture. Fires are particularly challenging to manage in Borneo's peatlands, which can sustain underground blazes. Following the 2015 fires, Indonesian authorities pledged to prioritize fire prevention and peatland rehabilitation, which experts suggest may have helped limit the current scale of the fires.