Content overview: “Why Indonesia's Peat Fires Are a Global Crisis: BBC Reports from Central Kalimantan”. BBC correspondent Liza Tambunan reports from Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, where the worst wildfire season in a decade is raging. At the heart of the crisis is peat—a dense, carbon-rich soil formed over thousands of years from partially decayed vegetation. When dry, peat becomes highly flammable and can smolder underground for months, making fires extremely difficult to extinguish and releasing massive amounts of smoke and greenhouse gases.
Indonesia is home to vast tropical peatlands, which are often drained for agriculture, leaving them vulnerable to ignition. The resulting haze has blanketed the region, causing school closures, respiratory illnesses, and flight cancellations, while carbon emissions from the fires have spiked to levels comparable to a major industrial nation. The BBC's on-the-ground coverage explains why these fires are not just a local disaster but a global environmental emergency. The full version stays on the original page, which this listing opens directly.