ASEAN needs $10 billion to tackle deadly forest fires: scientist

Smog-affected ASEAN countries, especially Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, should allocate up to US$10 billion to cope with unending forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, a scientist said. “The cost is equal to the estimated total economic losses resulting from the recent smog,” Herry Purnomo, a scientist at CIFOR and professor at Bogor Agricultural University, told thejakartapost.com. Herry said that Indonesia was estimated to suffer $4 billion in losses this year, in terms of agriculture production, destruction of forest lands, health, transportation, tourism and other economic endeavors.