SMOG* BLOG

*Technically, I guess it is being called 'haze,' but haze doesn't rhyme with blog.

And no rain til Sunday...

Singapore has been enveloped in a dense haze of smoke, blowing over from Sumatra, where farmers are using slash-and-burn techniques to clear land for oil palm plantations.

It is nasty. It is dusty and smokey to breathe, stings your eyes, and is generally gross. It is unpleasant for everyone, but I can only imagine how difficult this is on people with respiratory problems (like the heart failure patients in one of our ongoing studies, for is instance). The country is selling out of the n95 masks (the face masks that actually filters the air), and I'd guess that this morning somewhere between 10-25% of the commuting population was wearing a mask. Currently, visibility is reported to be 0.5km - little more than a quarter mile. There are several tall building that I can normally see from my office window, and they aren't shrouded in haze - they're gone. It is so hazy, you can actually look at the sun without hurting your eyes (ok, probably not the best idea) - it looks more like an intense orange moon than our bright yellow sun.

My coworkers and I have begun compulsively checking the National Environmental Agency's hourly updates of the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI). We even got a little Hi-Lo game going on, betting on the next hourly report (what did we say, Karyn? Winner gets a face mask?) Yesterday afternoon we were up around the 170s, and then it dipped down a bit. Then last night at 9pm the reading rocketed up to 290, then 321 at 10pm. Yep, we hit the dark read, highest-level-on-the-scale 'HAZARDOUS' mark. That set a new record for Singapore. Fabulous. For your reference:

Also for your reference: Beijing's PSI is currently 105 (although looks like yesterday it fluctuated between 100 - 180)

View from Karyn's apartment. It is hard to capture,
but imagine that, if not for the haze,
it'd be blue skies and sunshine.

It is a frustrating situation - because what can be done? It seems like like there is a lot of frustration with the government for not doing more, but what can you do about weather patterns? Obviously, the solution is to stop the burning in Indonesia, but that is difficult on a practical level and dicey on a political level. Singapore is complaining to Indonesia, imploring them to enforce the laws against massive burning. Indonesia points the finger back, reminding us that much of the industry is backed by Singaporean and Malaysian companies and investments. Ah, tricky. I feel like I'm back in my 'Global Environmental Politics' course - can you say trans-boundary pollution problem?

Yuck!
(No credit for this picture, I took this from google)

In the mean time, everyone is cautioned to limit outdoor activity (guess I won't be running this week!), and I've heard that many companies (especially government companies) are limiting outdoor work and issuing masks to workers, etc. The last time the haze was near this level (1997) there were school and work closings. I had my fingers crossed for a smog day today, but no dice!

So that's what's happening here - and it is basically all anyone can talk about. I've lived in some regions with pretty crazy weather, but I don't think I've ever experienced pollution as weather. This week-long dose of what many cities deal with all the time is startling - and depressing. And a reminder that yes, humans are most definitely contributing to climate change. With pollution like this, how could we not?!
Silver-lining to this haze? At least this pollution is mostly from burning wood (which is not good), and not from even more deadly chemicals. And at least it will end - hopefully soon!