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Indonesia wildfires drive record-high CO2 emissions in early September
Fire emissions from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7 reached 19.7 million metric tons, more than a third of the global total, and emissions intensity topped 1,500 kg per square kilometer in the most affected regions.
Indonesia is confronting an exceptionally intense wildfire season, with carbon dioxide readings from fires currently among the highest in the world, according to Fire Emissions Watch data from the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring service as reported by SCMP Economy. From September 1 to September 7, Indonesian fire emissions totaled 19.7 million metric tons, overtaking Russia and accounting for more than a third of the global total, the data show.
The report links the spike to “super-El Nino” conditions, which raise temperatures and deepen drought across fire-prone areas on Borneo and Sumatra. Fire emission intensity exceeded 1,500 kg per square kilometer from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7, more than 10 times the Russian level, with the highest concentrations in Kalimantan and eastern parts of Sumatra.
Copernicus data also show emissions were 273.0 percent higher than the seasonal average, though still below the 21.7 million tons emitted in the same week of 2015 during similarly severe El Nino conditions. In the hardest hit area, Pontianak in West Kalimantan, the air quality index reached 394 on Wednesday, and IQAir says 300 is considered hazardous.
SCMP Economy cites Copernicus scientist Mark Parrington, who said fires are expected seasonally in the region, but El Nino acts as a major enhancer for their impact.