Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-28
**Lead**
An opinion piece that has circulated widely in British media this week paints a harrowing picture of the air quality crisis gripping Indonesia, warning that children are being exposed to a ‘sickening’ yellow smog that poses long-term health risks. The article, titled ‘Our world is yellow’, argues that the annual haze from peatland and forest fires has reached a critical point, with infants and schoolchildren bearing the brunt of the pollution. The piece has reignited debate in the United Kingdom about the responsibility of international consumers and governments in tackling the transboundary haze that affects not only Indonesia but also neighbouring countries.
**Context**
The smog that blankets large parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan each dry season is not a new phenomenon. For decades, peatland fires – often started illegally to clear land for palm oil and pulpwood plantations – have released vast clouds of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) into the atmosphere. In recent weeks, satellite images have shown a thick, yellowish haze stretching across the region, forcing school closures, disrupting flights, and sending thousands of people to hospital with respiratory complaints. The Indonesian government has deployed water-bombing aircraft and artificial rain technology, but critics argue that enforcement against slash-and-burn practices remains weak.
The opinion piece, published by a prominent UK-based environmental commentator, draws on first-hand accounts from parents and teachers in affected provinces. It describes how children are forced to wear face masks even indoors, how playgrounds stand empty, and how paediatric wards are overflowing with cases of pneumonia and asthma. The author notes that the term ‘yellow’ is used by local communities to describe the eerie, sulphuric tint of the sky – a colour that has become synonymous with the fire season. The piece also references data from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, which has recorded a sharp increase in acute respiratory infections among under-fives during the past month, though exact figures are not cited in the article.
**Analysis**
The opinion piece matters for a UK audience for several reasons. First, the United Kingdom is a major importer of Indonesian palm oil and pulp products, commodities that are directly linked to the fires. Environmental campaigners have long argued that British consumers are inadvertently financing the destruction of carbon-rich peatlands and the resulting health crisis. The article calls on the UK government to strengthen due-diligence requirements under the Environment Act and to support a regional haze agreement that includes binding emissions targets. It also urges British investors to divest from companies that fail to adopt zero-burning policies.
Second, the piece highlights a growing sense of desperation among Indonesian civil society. With the dry season expected to last until November, and with the El Niño phenomenon exacerbating drought conditions, the haze is likely to worsen before it clears. The author warns that the long-term effects on children’s lung development, cognitive function and life expectancy could be catastrophic. This is not merely an environmental issue, the piece argues, but a public health emergency that demands a coordinated international response. The UK, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a signatory to the ASEAN-UK dialogue partnership, is well placed to press for action.
Third, the opinion piece taps into broader anxieties about climate change and intergenerational justice. The ‘yellow world’ described by the author is a visceral reminder that the consequences of environmental degradation are not evenly distributed. Children in rural Indonesia, many from low-income families, are the least responsible for the fires yet suffer the most. The piece implicitly challenges British readers to consider their own carbon footprint and the hidden costs of cheap imported goods. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of existing certification schemes, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which have failed to prevent the recurrence of fire seasons.
**Sources**
The information in this article is drawn from the opinion piece ‘Our world is yellow’ as published by a UK-based commentator, as well as from publicly available reports by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF Indonesia. Additional context is provided by previous coverage of the Southeast Asian haze crisis in The Guardian, BBC News, and the Jakarta Post. No specific individuals have been named in accordance with editorial policy.