Did you wake up to clear blue skies today? If you are in Bali, I'm sure you did. But in Kalimantan and Sumatra, the blue skies have been replaced by thick polluted air. People's daily activities, and aviation and shipping in and around the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, are all severely impacted by the haze caused by forest fires.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) said this past Monday there were 11 active fires in Riau Province alone and it has been covered in thick smoke for over a week, forcing schools and universities to close and send their students home.
Local farmers and corporations are blamed for the recurring forest fires. National Police spokesman Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo said on Monday, as quoted by CNN Indonesia that in Central Kalimantan, police arrested 45 individuals and one corporate representative, while the West Kalimantan Police have arrested 59 individuals and representatives from two companies.
"We have concluded that 99 percent of the forest fires were caused by people," he said.
Just like most of today's problems in the world. People are the cause. If we trace the history of forest fires, we'd be shocked to see the millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide we have directly caused.
Many of us have posted on social media those pictures of Kalimantan or Sumatra forestland in flames, with people on the streets wearing face masks with thick haze around them, and one of the most dreadful ones; orangutans being rescued from their burning natural habitat.
Although some people mistakenly posted old photos from 2015, the bitter truth is, those photos are still just as relevant.
But is that all we can do? Grunting our way through captions and posting even more fiery comments on social media?
There is some good conservation work and many foundations out there are already doing amazing work we can support; either to aid this particular problem or to avoid it reoccurring in the future. Yours truly had the opportunity to work with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation in the past and I genuinely have faith in their mission. You may find out more about it here: Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.
Your donation can support many actions, from purchasing fire safety personal gear and equipment, to even building a fire prevention system.
Is a donation the only way? Fortunately, not, while hotels and other big corporations move faster with their green initiatives, our own small steps at home are equally important. Try to reduce your wood and paper consumption, try to practice using products with no palm oil (look through the ingredients list of your children's snacks and prepare to be shocked), eat less meat if going vegan is not your way, or at least a sustainable source. And purchase locally-made products to help strengthen communities' wealth.
The 50 percent increase in the number of active fires in Indonesia between January and July this year sounds devastating, and all of the above actions seem like a small drop in the ocean at an individual level. But together we can make a stronger push and drive for change, halting, or maybe just reducing the speed of environmental destruction.
Now, before we enjoy our weekend in Bali, let us pick one action that can make a difference. Just one.
Don't forget to check our What's New Indonesia for Jakarta, Bali, and Bandung happenings.
Thank you for staying in touch with us, and the Island of the Gods.
Cheers,
Tressabel Hutasoit
Editor What's New Bali | 
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