Environment · 2026-10-15 · Morning briefing

Indonesia deploys dry ice against decade-worst wildfires

Facing its most severe wildfire season in a decade, Indonesia is trialling an experimental method to clear toxic haze by scattering 1.5 tons of dry ice over South Sumatra province. The fires, exacerbated by a strong El Niño, have created a regional environmental crisis, with smog turning skies in many cities a dusty amber.

According to the independent monitor Nusantara Atlas, more than one million wildfire hotspots have burned almost 900,000 hectares of land across Indonesia this year. The resulting pollution has drifted across borders, causing unhealthy air quality in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia. Indonesian police have named more than 200 individuals and nine companies as suspects in connection with the fires.

Unlike conventional cloud seeding, which aims to create rain, the dry ice is intended to “break down” the haze in the lower atmosphere and force it to rise. The trial runs alongside cloud seeding operations in both Indonesia and Malaysia; last month, Indonesia granted Malaysian agencies permission to conduct their own operations in Indonesian airspace.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

Read the sources

• Indonesia fights wildfires with dry ice as toxic haze spreads across region
• The women volunteers of Borneo battling the worst wildfires in 11 years
• Japan Deploys Equipment to Indonesia's Borneo to Help Fight Wildfires Causing Toxic Haze
• Indonesian police deploys 3,852 officers for FIFA ASEAN Cup matches

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