Record Smog Levels in Singapore this week were caused by mass burning of natural vegetation in Malaysia and Indonesia to produce –you guessed it — palm oil to make bio-diesel for guilt-ridden and gullible Westerners.
Large areas of Indonesia’s rainforests have been converted to oil palm plantations, driven by rising global demand for the cheap vegetable oil popular with food manufacturers and as a renewable fuel (biofuel). Palm oil and palm kernel oil now make up one of the largest shares of global vegetable oil supply, with Indonesia and Malaysia accounting for 83% of global production. The rapid increase in plantation acreage is, however, one of the greatest threats to orangutans and forests on which they depend. (Grida.no Peter Prokosch photo)
Smog in Singapore spiked to dangerous new levels this week.
WSJ.blogs reported:
Smog in Singapore worsened to a record “hazardous” level Thursday, as smoke from fires in neighboring Indonesia billowed into the island state’s worst-ever air-pollution crisis.
According to Singapore’s National Environment Agency, the city’s three-hour Pollutant Standards Index rose to an all-time high of 371 at 1 p.m. local time (0500 GMT) Thursday, surpassing the official “hazardous” designation of 301 or higher. The index had shown readings between 137 and 299 from 6 a.m. to midday, indicating “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” conditions…
…Singapore and neighboring Malaysia have been choked by smoke from fires burning in forests, mostly to clear agricultural land, on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island since the weekend.