Asia & Pacific
Fire emissions from Indonesia from September 1 to September 7 reached 19.7 million metric tons, overtaking Russia this week and making up more than a third of the global total, according to Fire Emissions Watch, a portal developed by the European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring service.
A firefighter from the Banjar Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) douses a peatland fire on Sept. 2, 2026, in Banjar regency, South Kalimantan. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S.)
Indonesia is facing a surge in emissions from wildfires burning through parched stretches of forest and peatland in Kalimantan and Sumatra, with carbon dioxide readings currently the highest in the world, data showed on Wednesday.Fire emissions from Indonesia from September 1 to September 7 reached 19.7 million metric tons, overtaking Russia this week and making up more than a third of the global total, according to Fire Emissions Watch, a portal developed by the European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring service.
Indonesia is one of the world's most fire-prone countries, but as "super-El Niño" weather conditions drive up temperatures and cause punishing droughts, the country is battling what authorities say is its most intense wildfire season in 11 years.
