Who's to blame for the toxic smog choking South East Asia?
South East Asia is experiencing severe toxic smog caused by annual wildfires, exacerbated this year by the El Niño climate phenomenon. Indonesian authorities are facing pressure to enforce stricter sanctions against illegal slash-and-burn agricultural practices.
Why it matters
The environmental and health crisis highlights the tension between commercial agricultural expansion and regional air quality standards.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Persistent haze this year has prompted Indonesian authorities to step up efforts to punish offenders
As Indonesia battles its worst wildfire season in a decade, a toxic smog is choking millions of residents in the region.
The air on the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra has turned an ominous amber, with air quality recorded at hazardous levels.
The smog - or haze - has drifted beyond Indonesia's borders to neighbouring countries, raising public health concerns. It has obscured Singapore's skyline and forced some schools to close in Malaysia.
Now, anger is mounting at the companies accused of burning farmland, as well as the authorities who have struggled to stop them.
The annual dry season wildfires have been especially intense this year because of an unusually strong El Niño: a natural climate phenomenon which changes weather patterns around the world.
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