The haze is back - and the root cause is global warming - Ahmad Ibrahim

SEPTEMBER 26 — The haze is back. The acrid smell of burning peat hangs in the air, skies are tinged an apocalyptic orange, and the familiar rhythm of life in Sarawak — and indeed, across Malaysia — has been disrupted. Schools close, offices slow down, and the economic machinery grinds to a halt. But this time, as we reach for our face masks, we are running out of scapegoats.

For decades, the narrative was convenient and comfortable. We blamed the smallholders. We pointed fingers at the slash-and-burn farmers in Kalimantan and Sumatra, painting them as the ecological villains of the piece. It was a tidy story: irresponsible agriculture versus responsible citizens. But the current evidence no longer supports that convenient fiction.