This article uses the shift from hazardous air quality conditions in Malaysia to unhealthy air pollution to discuss the implications. Indonesian forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo polluted the skies of Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The polluted air in major cities contained hazardous amounts of carbon dioxide, lead from gasoline, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. Malaysia's air pollution problems are aggravated by indigenous pollutants such as vehicle emissions, factory smoke, and open burning. In the industrial valley around Kuala Lumpur, at least 50% of the problem is local. Malaysia is only one of many Southeast Asian countries with rapid economic growth of 8-10% per year. A major negative consequence of this rapid growth is environmental pollution. Major Southeast Asian cities are "clogged with traffic, choked with exhaust fumes, and lacking in open green space." Environmental protection efforts are small, weak, and barely effective in raising public consciousness or industrial responsibility. A World Bank expert on regional environmental problems reports that governments are more aware, but environmental problems are due to lack of basic sanitation, poverty, problems associated with early industrialization, and pollution associated with more mature industrial societies. Laws that aim to protect forests and to stop burnings are insufficiently enforced or inadequate. Most of the Indonesian fires were started on palm oil plantations, which cleared land to keep pace with demand and contributed $1 billion to the national economy. The Jakarta government finally took action by revoking logging licenses of 29 firms suspected of violating the burning ban. Malaysia must develop status symbols other than the car and develop urban public transportation. The Asian financial crisis and the haze may mark the beginning of effective action to protect the environment.
