For WizardKim-VDP2

Week 6 Video Discussion Post 1st Response:

Instructions: Respond to the post below from your fellow classmate. Any opinions, or anything you would like to add to discuss about their post. Must be three substantial paragraphs, and three references.

The video I chose for this week, speaks about the sustainable use of peatland and haze mitigation in ASEAN 

But the first question that struck me was about the meaning of the terms Peatland and Haze. 

Peatlands are a type of wetlands, which are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. They are critical for preserving global biodiversity, provide safe drinking water, minimize flood risk, and help address climate change. Peatlands are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store. Damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, annually releasing almost 6% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Peatland restoration can therefore bring significant emissions reductions. Urgent action worldwide is required to protect, sustainably manage, and restore peatlands. This involves protecting them from degrading activities such as agricultural conversion and drainage and restoring the waterlogged conditions required for peat formation to prevent the release of carbon stored in peat soil. (iucn.org) 

Haze is an atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke, and dry particles in the air obscure the sky’s clarity. Although haze is mostly a dry air phenomenon, some of its particles tend to create condensation, subsequently giving form to mist droplets. This phenomenon is known as wet haze, or visibility-reducing aerosols of the wet type. The process of aerosol creation occurs due to the chemical reactions between the atmosphere and the sulfur dioxide gas emissions, which create small droplets of sulfuric acid. Sunlight, high humidity, and stagnant airflow may enhance this process. Wet haze tends to favor warm weather. It can cover large areas and reach thousands of square miles in the favorable summer conditions. It most often occurs when dust and smoke particles accumulate in relatively dry air. When the natural dispersal methods of smoke and other pollutants are hindered, the build-up creates a low-hanging, cloud-like blanket that impairs visibility. (earth.com) 

The video explains that in the ASEAN region, peatlands cover approximately 56% of global tropical peatlands, and it is estimated that ASEAN peatlands store approximately 68 billion tons of carbon or 14% of carbon stored in peatlands globally. 

In the past few decades, human interventions such as logging, slash and burn, deforestation, drainage for agriculture, and consequently increasing wildfires have turned ASEAN’s carbon-rich peatlands into gigantic carbon emitters. Annual emissions are now estimated at about 2 billion tons, approximately 4 % of global fossil fuel emissions. 

To support ASEAN’s endeavors in combating transboundary haze pollution and peatland fires, the Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN (SUPA) programme is launched in 2017, with 20 million EUR contributions from the European Union and 4 million EUR from the German Government. 

The overall objective of SUPA is “to promote the sustainable management of peatlands in the ASEAN region through collective actions and to enhance cooperation to support and sustain local livelihoods, reduce the risk of fire and associated haze and contribute to global environmental management.” 

The specific objective of SUPA is “to improve sustainable peatland management to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change in ASEAN, to manage the risk of wildfires and reduce transboundary smoke haze.” 

The expected results of SUPA are: 

1. APSMPE (ASEAN Programme on Sustainable Management of Peatland Ecosystems), APMS (ASEAN Peatland Management Strategy), and NAPPs (National Action Plans on Peatlands) gradually implemented at local, national and regional level through enhanced capacity and identification of ASEAN peatland areas characterized by their degradation rate and their potential for rehabilitation and conservation 

2. Significantly reduced peatland fires and associated haze through fire prevention and peatland rehabilitation 

3. Integrated management of targeted peatlands to maintain ecological functions and biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 

4. Peatlands are sustainably managed to enhance livelihood and maintain economic value 

The programme is structured into 2 components: 

SUPA Component 1  SUPA Component 1 aims to strengthen ASEAN and AMS to implement APMS and NAPPs through capacity-building and institutional framework along with selected tangible demonstration activities on the ground, including strengthening regional co-operation through the provision of technical and material support to regional institutions on sustainable peatland management (Peatland Governance) 

SUPA Component 2  SUPA Component 2 aims to improve Non-State Actor (NSA) participation to strengthen the community’s organisation and capacity on sustainable management of the use of peatlands (NSA Participation). It involves a bottom-up approach, aiming at encouraging the participation of NSA, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academia, and local communities, on sustainable peatland management under the guidance of APMS and NAPPs. 

In short, through this program, which constitutes a collective effort, they are working towards: 

-Sustainable Peatland Management, and 

-Climate Change Mitigation in ASEAN 

 

References: 

ASEAN Secretariat. (2020, June 4). Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation in ASEAN. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIC23ryYSWM 

Earth.com. (2018, November 24). What is Haze? https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/haze/ 

Haze.asean.org. (n.d.). ASEAN Haze and Peatland Programmes. http://haze.asean.org/asean-haze-and-peatland-programmes/ 

IUCN. (n.d.). Peatlands and climate change. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/peatlands-and-climate-change