Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transboundary Haze Pollution: Balancing the ASEAN Way and the Malaysian Approach

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
ASEAN International Law

  • 635 Accesses

Abstract

The haze phenomenon is engulfing Southeast Asia. Such a yearly epidemic is primarily originating from fires ravaging the forests of the Indonesian islands. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are often badly distressed by this environmental anomaly. Thick smog hovers over the airspace of Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, and, at times, the Philippine islands, causing environmental and health problems for millions of people inhabiting areas across the region. The scarcity of rain often worsens the appalling air quality in affected areas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    H. Varkkey, The Haze Problem In Southeast Asia: Palm Oil And Patronage 48–58 (2016).

  2. 2.

    See The haze is back across South East Asia, BBC News, Aug. 26, 2016, available athttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37192800 (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  3. 3.

    Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja & Francis Chan, Haze Situation Turns Grim in Kalimantan and Sumatra, Straits Times, Sept. 25, 2015, available athttp://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/haze-situation-turns-grim-in-kalimantan-and-sumatra (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  4. 4.

    Id.

  5. 5.

    Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli, Indonesian Haze : An ASEAN Integration Too Far, Malay Mail Online, Sept. 15, 2015, available athttp://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/indonesian-haze-an-asean-integration-too-far-mohd-hazmi-mohd-rusli (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  6. 6.

    Kheng-Lian Koh & Md. Saiful Karim, South East Asian Environmental Legal Governance, in Routledge Handbook Of International Environmental Law 470–22 (Shawkat Alam et al. eds., 2013).

  7. 7.

    K. Hickson, Race For Sustainability: Energy, Environment And Ethics (2014).

  8. 8.

    Id.

  9. 9.

    Haliza Abdul Rahman, Haze Phenomenon in Malaysia : Domestic of Transboundary Factor, in Proceeding of the 3rd International Conference on Chemical Engineering and Its Applications (ICCEA’13) (Sept. 28–29, 2013), available athttp://www.isaet.org/images/extraimages/P913033.pdf (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  10. 10.

    See Worst Haze in a Decade Blankets Southern Thailand, Straits Times. Oct. 22, 2015, available athttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/worst-haze-in-a-decade/2210410.html (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  11. 11.

    Id.

  12. 12.

    See Air quality in Brunei “good” despite haze, Borneo Bull. (2015).

  13. 13.

    See Haze from Indonesian forest fires reaches southern Philippines, causes air travel disruptions, ABC News Oct. 24, 2015, available athttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-24/indonesian-haze-reaches-the-philippines/6881564 (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  14. 14.

    See Haze from Indonesian fires causes pollution spike in Malaysia, ABC News, Sept. 27, 2015, available athttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-27/smoke-from-indonesia-causes-air-pollution-spike-in-malaysia/6808080 (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  15. 15.

    An API reading above three hundred indicates hazardous air quality standards. See M. Cochrane, Tropical Fire Ecology: Climate Change, Land Use And Ecosystem Dynamics 5–10 (2009).

  16. 16.

    See Worsening haze decreases visibility in North Barito, Jakarta Post, Oct. 15, 2015, available athttp://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/15/worsening-haze-decreases-visibility-north-barito.html (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  17. 17.

    D. Shelton & A. Kiss, Judicial Handbook On Environmental Law 79–81 (2005).

  18. 18.

    Chan Luo Er & Leong Wai Kit, Schools to Close on Friday Due To Worsening Haze Situation, Channel NewsAsia, Sept. 24, 2015, available athttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/schools-to-close-on/2147982.html. See also Schools in seven locales to close due to haze, Malay Mail Online, Oct. 18. 2015, available athttp://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/schools-in-seven-locales-to-close-due-to-haze (all last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  19. 19.

    World Travel & Tourism Council, Travel & Tourism: Economic Impact 2015 Malaysia (2015), available athttps://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economicimpactresearch/countries2015/malaysia2015.pdf (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  20. 20.

    S. Tay, Fires, Haze and Acid Rain: The Social and Political Framework of Air Pollution in ASEAN and Asia, in Challenges Of A Changing Earth: Proceedings Of The Global Change Open Science Conference 49-52 (Will Steffen et al. eds., 2001), available athttp://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.200.6344&rep=rep1&type=pdf (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  21. 21.

    J. Cochrane, Indonesia’s Forest Fires Take Toll on Wildlife, Big and Small, N.Y. Times, Oct. 30, 2015, available athttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/world/asia/indonesia-forest-fires-wildlife.html (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  22. 22.

    See Singapore GDP will take hit from haze as countries issue travel warnings, Straits Times Oct. 7, 2015, available athttp://www.straitstimes.com/business/economy/singapore-gdp-will-take-hit-from-haze-as-countries-issue-travel-warnings (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  23. 23.

    See Indonesia “needs time” to tackle haze - Joko Widodo, BBC News, Sept. 29, 2015, available athttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34387979 (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  24. 24.

    Tuomas Kuokkanen, International Law And The Environment: Variations On A Theme 80–6 (2002).

  25. 25.

    Id.

  26. 26.

    See UN Reports of International Arbitral Awards (2006), available athttp://legal.un.org/riaa/cases/vol_III/1905-1982.pdf (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  27. 27.

    Mohd Hazmi bin Mohd Rusli, A Historical Overview of the Legal Status of Straits used for International Navigation under International Law, 1 Aalco J. Int’l L. 103–31 (2012).

  28. 28.

    The Corfu Channel Case (U.K. v. Alb.), Judgment, 1949 I.C.J. Rep. 11 (Apr. 9), available athttp://www.icj-cij.org/files/case-related/1/001-19490409-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  29. 29.

    T. Koh & Jolene Lin, The Land Reclamation Case: Thoughts and Reflections, 10 Sing. Y.B. Int’l L. 1–7 (2006).

  30. 30.

    Xiong Liangmin, Case concerning Land Reclamation by Singapore in and around the Straits of Johor (Malaysia v. Singapore), China Ocean L. Rev. 566–70 (2005).

  31. 31.

    Case concerning Land Reclamation by Singapore in and around the Straits of Johor (Malay. v. Sing.), Case No. 12, Order of Oct. 8, 2003, ITLOS Rep. 30–1, available athttps://www.itlos.org/cases/list-of-cases/case-no-12 (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  32. 32.

    Id.

  33. 33.

    I. Wallerstein, States? Sovereignty? The Dilemmas of Capiltalists in an Age of Transition, in States And Sovereignty In The Global Economy 20–30 (D. Smith, D. Solinger & S. Topik eds., 1999).

  34. 34.

    Md. Sameh M. Amr, The Role Of The International Court Of Justice As The Principal Judicial Organ Of the United Nations 27–31 (2003).

  35. 35.

    In the course of history, Malaysia had once utilized the ICJ in settling disputes with Indonesia i.e. the Ligitan and Sipadan dispute. See UN, International Court Finds That Sovereignty over Islands of Ligitan and Sipadan Belongs to Malaysia (Dec. 17, 2002), available athttps://www.un.org/press/en/2002/ICJ605.doc.htm (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  36. 36.

    A. Fensom, AEC Dream’s Failure “Still A Success,” Diplomat, Mar. 28, 2015, available athttp://thediplomat.com/2015/03/aec-dreams-failure-still-a-success (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  37. 37.

    C. Raymond, Piracy and Armed Robbery in the Malacca Strait, 62 Naval War College Rev. 31–42 (2009).

  38. 38.

    Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli, Are There Still Pirates in Our Straits, Malay Mail Online, Sept. 4, 2014, available athttp://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/are-there-still-pirates-in-our-straits-mohd-hazmi-mohd-rusli (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  39. 39.

    Shicun Wu, Solving Disputes For Regional Cooperation And Development In The South China Sea: A Chinese Perspective 151-7 (2013).

  40. 40.

    Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, Asean.Org (2012), available athttp://asean.org/?static_post=declaration-on-the-conduct-of-parties-in-the-south-china-sea-2 (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017). For details, see G. Poling, The South China Sea In Focus: Clarifying The Limits Of Maritime Disputes 18-26 (2013).

  41. 41.

    Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Singapore Will Work to Formulate Code of Conduct in South China Sea : Vivian Balakrishnan, Channel News Asia, Feb. 27, 2016,available athttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-will-work-to/2554918.html (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  42. 42.

    Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli, The Rohingya Exodus: Is Malaysia in a Catch-22 Situation, Forbes, Jan. 23, 2017,available athttps://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/01/23/the-rohingya-exodus-is-malaysia-in-a-catch-22-situation. See also Malaysia: Myanmar pursues ethnic cleansing of Rohingya, Al-Jazeera (2016), http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/myanmar-ethnic-cleansing-rohingya-161203104609449.html (all last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  43. 43.

    N. Uddin, State of Stateless People: The Plight of Refugees in Bangladesh, in The Human Right To Citizenship: A Slippery Concept 62–77 (R. Howard-Hassmann & M. Walton-Roberts eds., 2015).

  44. 44.

    Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli, Neglected in Displacement, Trapped in Banishment: Nowhere to Go for the Rohingyas, Malay Mail Online, May 19, 2015, available athttp://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/neglected-in-displacement-trapped-in-banishment-nowhere-to-go-for-the-rohin (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  45. 45.

    Mohamad Faisol Keling et al., The Development of ASEAN from Historical Approach, 7 Asian Soc. Sci. 169–89 (2011).

  46. 46.

    R. Severino, Southeast Asia In Search Of An ASEAN Community : Insights From The Former ASEAN Secretary-General 107–20 (2006).

  47. 47.

    Id.

  48. 48.

    See ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, Asean.Org (2016), available athttp://haze.ASEAN.org/ASEAN-agreement-on-transboundary-haze-pollution-2 (last visited on Oct. 13, 2017).

  49. 49.

    Id.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai, Malaysia

    Hazmi Rusli

  2. Ahmad Ibrahim Kuliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    M. Mustafa

  3. School of Law, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia

    R. Dremliuga

Authors
  1. Hazmi Rusli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Mustafa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. Dremliuga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hazmi Rusli .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. YIJUN Institute of International Law, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Eric Yong Joong Lee

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 YIJUN Institute of International Law

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Rusli, H., Mustafa, M., Dremliuga, R. (2022). Transboundary Haze Pollution: Balancing the ASEAN Way and the Malaysian Approach. In: Lee, E.Y.J. (eds) ASEAN International Law. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3195-5_34

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3195-5_34

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-3194-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-3195-5

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation