Story perspectives

Indonesia reports 23 million tons carbon from peat fires

9/6/2026

Summary

Raja Juli Antoni: Peatfire

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni says the fight to extinguish peatland fires has entered a critical phase.
Around 300 hectares burned near the planned capital Nusantara, prompting water-bombing and cloud-seeding requests.
Independent estimates cite nearly 300,000 hectares burned nationwide, emitting over 23 million metric tons of carbon.
Indonesia’s Health Ministry recorded over 50,000 respiratory cases, including more than 12,000 children under five, since July.

Summary

Volunteers Rescue Orangutans

Volunteers rescued seven Bornean orangutans from fire-affected palm-oil plantations this year.
Farmer Jais gave water to a weakened orangutan he found near Ketapang.
Rescue teams treated adult female Mama Yuni and her two offspring after flames disrupted their habitat.
The Bornean orangutan is critically endangered, with about 120,000 individuals remaining in the wild.
Deforestation for oil-palm has reduced orangutan habitat by over 55 % in the past two decades.

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Raja Juli Antoni: Peatfire

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni says the fight to extinguish peatland fires has entered a critical phase.
Around 300 hectares burned near the planned capital Nusantara, prompting water-bombing and cloud-seeding requests.
Independent estimates cite nearly 300,000 hectares burned nationwide, emitting over 23 million metric tons of carbon.
Indonesia’s Health Ministry recorded over 50,000 respiratory cases, including more than 12,000 children under five, since July.

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