印尼煙霧污染再度危害鄰國 難尋解決之道

SINGAPORE — Savir Singh’s taxi rolled into downtown Singapore, taking an overpass that provides a stunning view of the popular hotels and tourist attractions around Marina Bay.

新加坡——薩維爾·辛格(Savir Singh)的出租車駛進新加坡市中心，開上了一座立交橋。那裏景色壯麗，人們可以將濱海灣周邊的熱門酒店和旅遊景點一覽眼底。

The only problem was that he could barely see them. Thick haze from forest fires set in neighboring Indonesia to clear land for agriculture has blanketed this island state for weeks, and has spread to Malaysia and southern Thailand.

唯一的問題是，他幾乎看不到那些美景。數週來，鄰國印度尼西亞燒林墾荒造成的濃重煙霧籠罩着這個島國，並已向馬來西亞和泰國南部擴散。

While many Singaporeans have sought refuge from the pollution in their homes, offices or shopping malls, Mr. Singh’s only haven is his mobile workplace, and a small bottle of eyedrops lying near his armrest.

爲了躲避污染，很多新加坡人待在家、辦公室或商場裏，但對辛格來說，出租車這個移動工作場所，和車座扶手旁邊放着的一瓶滴眼液，是他僅有的庇護。

“Look at this,” he said, pointing to the partly obscured Singapore Flyer, a 540-foot-tall Ferris wheel. “I wish they had haze in Jakarta. Then the government there would do something about it.”

“你看看，”他指着有些模糊的新加坡摩天觀景輪(Singapore Flyer)說。“我希望雅加達也有霧霾。這樣那裏的政府就會採取點行動了。”新加坡摩天觀景輪是一座高540英尺（約合165米）的摩天輪。

Mr. Singh’s anger is part and parcel of a near-annual ritual: Fires set in Sumatra and the Indonesian side of Borneo blanket parts of Southeast Asia with smoke for weeks. While this has been going on for decades, an especially long dry season this year coupled with the effects of El Ni漀, threaten to make it the worst on record, scientists say.

辛格的憤怒是一項幾近年度儀式中必不可少的一部分：蘇門答臘島和婆羅洲印尼一側點燃的大火，讓東南亞部分地區數週都處在濃煙的籠罩下。這種情況已經持續了數十年，但科學家稱，今年的乾季特別漫長，再加上厄爾尼諾現象的影響，可能會造成有記載以來最惡劣的後果。

Around the region, flights have been grounded, schools have been closed, and tens of thousands of people have sought medical treatment for respiratory problems, allergies, eczema and other ailments. The first night of an international sports competition, the FINA Swimming World Cup, set for last Saturday and hosted by Singapore, was canceled because of health concerns — as was a marathon in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysia capital, set to be run the next morning.

在該地區各地，航班停飛，學校停課，數萬人因呼吸疾病、過敏、溼疹和其他病症而求醫。出於健康方面的考慮，由新加坡主辦、定於上週六舉行的國際性體育賽事國際泳聯世界盃短池游泳賽(FINA Swimming World Cup)第一天晚上的活動被取消。此外，定於第二天早上在馬來西亞首都吉隆坡舉行的一場馬拉松比賽也被取消。

This year, there have been more vocal complaints from people affected in Singapore, Malaysia and even in Indonesia. There has also been high-profile sniping among government leaders, along with lawsuits, investigations and arrests of accused fire-starters — a familiar replay from 2013, when the region suffered its last major bout of haze.

今年，在新加坡、馬來西亞乃至印度尼西亞，受到影響的人們表示了更強烈的不滿。政府領導人也進行了高調的抨擊，此外還出現了訴訟、調查和被控點火的人遭到逮捕的情況。這一幕很眼熟，實際上是2013年，也就是該地區上一次深受濃煙之苦時的情景再現。

After the skies cleared in 2013, the issue was once again forgotten — until last month, when the crisis erupted anew.

在2013年，碧空重現後，這個問題就被拋之腦後，直到上個月危機再次爆發。

The consensus this year is the same as it was then: The slash-and-burn techniques used in Indonesia’s palm oil industry are continuing unabated, and there is no magic bullet for ending the practice — or the haze it causes — in the short term.

人們今年所持的一致看法和那時一樣：印尼棕櫚油行業使用的刀耕火種做法保持不減，且短期沒有靈丹妙藥能結束這種做法，及其帶來的濃煙。

Finding the long-term solution requires reducing agriculture in Indonesia’s carbon-rich peatland, curtailing slash-and-burn methods for clearing land and halting the conversions of forests to agricultural uses including palm oil, said Peter Holmgren, director general of the Center for International Forestry Research, a global scientific organization with its headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia.

總部位於印尼茂物的全球性科學組織國際林業研究中心(Center for International Forestry Research)總幹事彼得·霍姆格倫(Peter Holmgren)表示，找到長期解決辦法需要減少印尼在碳含量豐富的泥炭地的農業種植、限制砍燒這種開荒方式，並停止把林地變成農業用地和生產棕櫚油的土地。

“Fire is the most cost-effective way of clearing, which is why it is done,” he said.

“放火燒是最省錢的開荒方式，這就是個中緣由，”他說。

Finding a permanent solution is daunting enough, but more than a month into the crisis, it seems that the region cannot curb the haze in the short term. Indonesia says that its military personnel are battling more than 1,000 forest-fire clusters, while Greenpeace says that figure does not include fires that started aboveground on peatland and are now burning out of control.

找到永久性的解決辦法是很難，但危機已出現一月有餘，而該地區似乎無法在短期內控制煙霧。印尼稱，該國軍事人員正在1000多個林火現場奮戰，但綠色和平(Greenpeace)表示，這個數字未包括泥炭地上燃燒起來的，以及眼下火勢失控的大火。

Up until Wednesday, Indonesia had rebuffed offers by neighbors to help it battle the blazes and had even admonished Singaporean and Malaysian leaders for daring to complain about the haze.

在週三之前，印度尼西亞都還在斷然回絕鄰國協助滅火的提議，甚至還斥責新加坡和馬來西亞領導人竟敢抱怨濃煙。

On Thursday, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia said his government had requested “help and assistance” the day before from Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Russia and Japan, in getting the peatland fires under control, according to a statement released by his cabinet secretariat.

不過，印尼總統佐科·威多多(Joko Widodo)的內閣祕書處已經發表聲明，說總統週四表示，他領導的政府已於前一天請求新加坡和馬來西亞，以及俄羅斯和日本，在控制泥炭地上的火勢上提供“幫助和支援”。

Mr. Joko said his government had specifically requested firefighting aircraft with a water-carrying capacity of 12 to 15 tons, saying that Indonesian planes currently fighting the blazes have carrying capacities of between two and three tons.

佐科表示，以他爲首的政府明確請求獲得載水量在12到15噸之間的消防飛機的支援，稱眼下參與滅火的印尼飛機的承載能力只有兩到三噸。

The aid request seemed to reflect a new seriousness from the Indonesian government.

求援似乎反映出印尼政府對此事的重新重視。

Late last month, the country’s outspoken vice president, Jusuf Kalla, repeated a statement he made earlier in the year in which he said that neighboring countries “should be grateful” to Indonesia for the clean air they have the other 11 months of the year.

上月末，該國說話並不婉轉的副總統優素福·卡拉(Jusuf Kalla)重複了他今年早些時候的言論，聲稱對一年中其他11個月的好天氣，鄰國“應該感謝”印度尼西亞。

During the 2013 haze crisis, Agung Laksono, a senior Indonesian cabinet minister at the time, compared Singaporean leaders to a child having a temper tantrum after they complained about the impact that thick haze was having on tourism, which is a major contributor to Singapore’s economy.

2013年煙霧危機期間，在新加坡領導人抱怨濃煙影響了新加坡重要的經濟支柱旅遊業後，當時擔任印尼內閣高級部長的阿貢·拉克索諾(Agung Laksono)把他們比作亂髮脾氣的小孩。

“It’s like a blame game,” said Bustar Maitar, global leader of the Indonesia Forest Campaign at Greenpeace.

“像是在互相推卸責任，”綠色和平印度尼西亞森林項目(Indonesia Forest Campaign)全球負責人布斯塔爾·邁塔爾(Bustar Maitar)說。

“Of course all the fires are coming from Indonesia, but Singapore is enjoying the ‘deforestation economy’ of Indonesia as a financial center,” he said, “and there are many Malaysian palm oil companies operating in Indonesia, and Singaporean companies are there as well.”

“當然，所有的大火都來自印尼，但作爲金融中心的新加坡也享受着印尼的‘毀林經濟’帶來的好處，”他說。“而且馬來西亞的很多棕櫚油公司在印尼有業務，新加坡的公司也是。”

Ultimately, Mr. Maitar said, the cycle will continue until rain forest deforestation is severely curtailed in Indonesia, where it remains rampant, and the Indonesian government bans the draining and clearing of peatland for agricultural use. Currently, Indonesian government policy allows peatland of less than about nine feet deep to be cleared.

邁塔爾表示，最終這個循環會繼續下去，直到印尼依然很普遍的雨林砍伐現象受到嚴厲限制，並且印尼政府禁止把泥炭地的水排幹開荒以用於農業。目前，印尼政府的政策允許開墾不足九英尺深的泥炭地。

“That’s the only long-term way to stop haze,” he said.

“這是唯一一個阻止煙霧的長久之計，”他說。

Then there is the issue of who is responsible for the fires. As in 2013, this time around, there has been ample finger-pointing: Multinational palm oil companies, pulp and paper companies, the smaller plantations that sell to them, traditional farmers and even day laborers have all been blamed for starting the fires — and they in turn have blamed one another.

然後就是誰該爲大火負責的問題。和2013年一樣，這一次也出現了大量的相互指責：跨國棕櫚油公司、紙漿和紙業公司、爲它們供貨的小種植園、傳統務農者乃至零工都被指是大火的始作俑者，而它們之間又相互指責。

On Wednesday, NTUC FairPrice, Singapore’s largest supermarket chain, released a statement saying it had pulled from its shelves toilet paper and other products sourced from Indonesia’s Asia Pulp & Paper, one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies.

週三，新加坡最大的連鎖超市職總平價超市(NTUC FairPrice)發佈了一則聲明，聲稱已將從印尼的亞洲漿紙業有限公司（Asia Pulp & Paper，又稱金光紙業，簡稱APP）採購的廁紙等產品下架。後者是全世界最大的漿紙業公司之一。

The supermarket said it had made the move “following notification from the Singapore Environment Council that it has instituted a temporary restriction on the use of the ‘Singapore Green Label’ certification for A.P.P. products,” the statement said.

超市在聲明中稱，做出此舉是“遵循新加坡環境理事會(Singapore Environment Council)的通知行事。其中表示，該機構開始實行一項臨時規定，禁止對APP的產品進行‘新加坡綠色標誌’認證”。

On Monday, the council had released a statement saying that it took action after an Asia Pulp & Paper subsidiary was “one of five companies named by the National Environment Agency (NEA) suspected to be contributing to the haze pollution.”

週一，理事會曾發表聲明稱，APP的一家子公司“被新加坡國家環境局（National Environment Agency，簡稱NEA）列爲涉嫌製造煙霧污染的五家公司之一”後，促使它採取了行動。

Aida Greenbury, managing director of sustainability for Asia Pulp & Paper, said in a statement on Thursday that the company was “firmly against” the intentional setting of forest fires and would disengage from any supplier proven guilty of illegally starting one.

APP負責可持續發展的執行董事艾達·格林伯裏(Aida Greenbury)在週四發表的聲明中稱，公司“堅決反對”故意放火燒林，並將與一切證明犯有非法縱火罪行的供應商解除關係。

“We understand why FairPrice feels the need to take urgent action and we feel the same urgency also in addressing this haze issue, but accuracy is just as important,” she said. “The fire situation is complex, and both the Singapore and Indonesia governments, and authorities are still investigating the situation.”

“我們理解職總平價超市爲什麼覺得有必要採取緊急行動，我們也感覺到了應對這一煙霧問題的緊迫性，但準確也同樣重要，”她說。“火情複雜，新加坡和印尼政府及權威機構仍在調查情況。”

Ang Peng Hwa, a university professor and founder of an antihaze activist group in Singapore, is promoting an American model for dealing with environmental negligence: suing those responsible, using a law passed by the Singaporean Parliament in 2014.

在新加坡創立了一個反煙霧活動團體的大學教授汪炳華(Ang Peng Hwa)正在倡導美國處理環境疏忽的模式：用新加坡議會2014年通過的一項法律起訴責任人。

Mr. Ang noted that under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, Singapore-listed companies involved in illegal land clearance in Indonesia can be sued in civil court for causing financial losses to businesses and individuals.

汪炳華指出，按照《跨境陰霾污染法令》(Transboundary Haze Pollution Act)的規定，與印尼非法墾荒活動有牽連的新加坡上市公司，可以因爲給企業和個人造成經濟損失而被告上民事法庭。

People have been coming forward to say that they have lost business because of the haze, Mr. Ang said. The prospective plaintiffs include a sporting events company and a sports training academy, though no lawsuits have yet been filed under the new law.

汪炳華稱，人們紛紛站出來說，因爲煙霧，生意受到了影響。可能的原告包括一家體育賽事公司和一家體育訓練學校，不過尚未有人依據這部新通過的法律提起訴訟。

Possible injured parties include upscale hotels that suffer canceled bookings during haze periods and the organizers of the annual F1 Singapore Grand Prix. The F1 race was held on Sept. 20 despite concerns about air quality.

可能的受害方包括高檔酒店和每年一屆的F1新加坡大獎賽的組織方。煙霧出現期間，酒店遭遇了預定取消的現象。9月20日，儘管有人擔心空氣質量，但F1大獎賽仍照舊舉行。

The problem, Mr. Ang said, is that it is very difficult to determine liability because “there are layers that protect ultimate owners of companies.”

汪炳華稱，問題是很難界定責任，因爲“有一層又一層的外殼保護公司的最終所有人”。

Yet, he said, the fact that some people have already come forward asking about financial compensation for haze through Singapore’s courts leads to an inescapable conclusion that should concern governments around the region. “People are getting more angry, more worked up.”

但他表示，一些人已經站出來，詢問通過新加坡的法院獲得經濟賠償的可能，而這一現象會引出一個必然的結論，當令該地區的各國政府警醒。“民衆正變得愈發憤怒和激動。”

Whether that anger will lead to more lasting change is yet to be seen. Mr. Ang is not optimistic. “They burn for a period, everyone gets upset, and then people forget,” he said of the fires.

這種憤怒是否會帶來更持久的變化還有待觀察。不過汪炳華對結果並不樂觀。“大火燒一段時間，於是羣情激奮，過後又都忘了，”他說。