California. Australia. Spain.
When raging wildfires sweep through these places, they dominate the headlines. We see dramatic footage of orange skies and walls of flames. It’s terrifying—and heartbreaking.
But there are other fires. Slower, quieter, less visible. Fires that don’t make the news.
Fires that choke the skies of places like Indonesia. Cambodia. Laos.
(I also witnessed these in Spain, in Valencia region when I visited it last October.)
The Planet Is Burning—But Not Just in the Places You Hear About
In March, I traveled through Southeast Asia. I’ll never forget arriving in Laos.
As we descended toward the airport, I noticed a strange cloud-like haze hugging the ground.
It wasn’t fog. It wasn’t low-hanging cloud.
It was smoke.
Thick. Brown. Unnatural.
I scanned the area for signs of a fire—emergency vehicles, smoke rising from a nearby building—something. But nothing stood out. Later, I checked the weather. The air quality index (AQI) was 182—marked in red. “Unhealthy.”
That night, I told myself it would pass. Surely, by morning, the skies would be clearer.
But they weren’t.
If anything, the smog had thickened.
Looking out the window the next morning was like peering through a dusty glass.
As we set out to eat our breakfast in the river-front restaurant of our hotel in Luang Prabang, the haze was even worse.
The AQI had climbed to over 190. Still marked red. Still dangerous.
What Was I Seeing?
This was not a freak event. This was the annual burning season—a recurring environmental crisis that unfolds each year from February through April across parts of Southeast Asia, particularly in Laos, Northern Thailand, and Myanmar.
During this time, vast swaths of forest, farmland, and hillside vegetation are deliberately burned. Farmers and agribusinesses set fires to clear land for agriculture, especially for crops like corn and cassava, or to hunt wildlife by flushing animals out of hiding. It’s known as slash-and-burn agriculture—a practice that’s increasingly unsustainable in the face of climate change.
Forests are torched. Hillsides are scorched. Entire ecosystems vanish.
The smoke blankets entire cities, disrupts flights, forces people indoors, and sends respiratory illness rates soaring.
A Vanishing Forest
My husband raved about how unspoiled Laos felt when he visited a few years back after the Covid pandemic. That’s why he wanted me to see it as well. But that was in December.
But March trip unfolded differently.
Laos was once among the most forest-rich countries in Southeast Asia, with over 70% of its land covered by trees just a few decades ago. Today, that number has dropped to around 40%.
The causes? Logging (both legal and illegal), conversion to famland, and industrial monocultures.
And when these forests burn, the carbon they once stored is released into the atmosphere—feeding the very climate crisis we’re all trying to stop.
This deforestation doesn’t just erase precious ecosystems. It sends massive amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the air. The thick haze that blankets entire cities and regions is not just unpleasant—it’s toxic.
How Bad Is the Pollution?
Air quality indices like the one I saw on Weather.com (182–190) refer to a scale that measures pollution levels, especially fine particulate matter known as PM2.5—tiny particles small enough to enter your lungs and bloodstream.
The AQI you see in weather apps refers mostly to tiny particles called PM2.5—microscopic pollution that enters the lungs and bloodstream.
- AQI of 0–50 = Good
- 51–100 = Moderate
- 101–150 = Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- 151–200 = Unhealthy for everyone
- 200+ = Very unhealthy or hazardous
Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking multiple cigarettes a day.
This means that people breathing this air risk serious health effects, especially children, the elderly, and anyone with respiratory or heart conditions.
What’s the Climate Cost?
I have no idea how to even approach it, so I asked my AI assistant to tell me. Here’s what I’ve learned.
It’s hard to calculate the exact carbon footprint of these fires, but it’s enormous.
According to satellite data, open burning across Southeast Asia can produce hundreds of millions of tons of CO₂ annually.
To put that in perspective:
- A single round-trip flight from New York to Bangkok generates about 3 tons of CO₂ per person.
- The average car emits about 4.6 tons of CO₂ per year.
- One burning season? The emissions can be equivalent to millions of flights or cars.
So the smoke-filled skies I saw weren’t just uncomfortable.
They represent a planetary cost that’s being paid in silence—by forest-dwelling animals, by local communities, and by the global climate system.
And unlike the wildfires in California or Australia, these fires are intentional.
They happen year after year.
And yet we rarely talk about them.
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The skies I saw in Laos weren’t just smoky. They were a sign of something deeper—how the hidden fires of our planet are tied to the choices we make, the systems we support, and the voices we choose to hear.
But we still had a wonderful time in Laos, and I wish I could re-visit the country in the future during a different seasons to see blue skies, green forests, and colorful Buddhist temples shining in the sun in their full golden glory.
🌿So, Is There Hope?
Seeing things like that and realizing how serious the problems are makes me feel helpless.
So, I tried to learn what’s being done.
Surely, someone cares?
And it seems that people are fighting back.
For example, there are Fire-Free Village Programs in Indonesia reward communities for avoiding fires. RECOFTC supports forest-based livelihoods in Laos and Southeast Asia that don’t rely on burning. WWF and GIZ promote sustainable land use and reforestation projects. Tools like Global Forest Watch use satellites to monitor and alert when new fires or deforestation occur.
🌱 What’s Being Done to Address the Burning Season in Southeast Asia?
1. Community-Based Fire Prevention & Agroforestry Projects
Some NGOs and local governments are promoting alternative land management strategies to reduce the need for slash-and-burn. For example,
- Agroforestry programs encourage farmers to plant trees alongside crops, which improves soil fertility and reduces the need for burning.
- Fire-Free Village Programs (like those in Indonesia) offer incentives to communities that commit to fire prevention, including agricultural training and equipment.
2. Remote Sensing & Monitoring
- Organizations like NASA, World Resources Institute (WRI), and Global Forest Watch use satellite technology to detect and map fires in near-real-time.
- These tools help track deforestation, identify hotspots, and push for accountability.
3. Reforestation & Conservation Efforts
- WWF-Laos and RECOFTC (The Center for People and Forests) are active in community forest management and restoration.
- GIZ (German Development Cooperation) supports sustainable forest management projects in Laos, focusing on climate protection, biodiversity, and community involvement.
4. Government Pledges (Though Enforcement Is Tricky)
- Laos and neighboring countries have signed international agreements to reduce transboundary haze pollution, like the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
- However, enforcement remains inconsistent due to lack of resources and political will. Still, it’s a starting point.
🌍💚 What Can We Do to Help?
- Support organizations working on the ground:
- Choose forest-friendly, plant-based, and fair-trade foods. Many of these fires are connected to growing feed crops for livestock or industrial agriculture.
- Share stories like this one. Shine a light on climate injustices that aren’t getting the attention they deserve.
- Donate, volunteer, or amplify. Every voice counts. Every dollar helps.
- Choose plant-based, aka Herbivore, aka Vegan diet. It’s better for the animals, the environment, and, of course, the people.
