Harbinger of more to come
Once again Southeast Asia finds itself under a blanket of haze caused by uncontrolled exploitation of the tropical and upland forests in Sumatra, Borneo, and other islands in Indonesia.
The region must find a way to work together to prevent this ongoing environmental disaster. It is not just the warnings of environmentalists, now, that must be heeded.
The weather pattern which has recently brought large amounts of rain to China, Korea and the Philippines may be a harbinger of more to come as we disturb the climate around the world.
Deforestation will exacerbate potential flooding problems and lead to soil erosion and the loss of primary productivity, rendering more and more land unable to grow either crops or forest.
It is with growing trepidation that those of us in North America who care about the life of the planet watch these events.
The people of Southeast Asia must think beyond their borders and take control of a difficult situation.
NORM CIMON La Grande, Oregon, US
