Southeast Asia air pollution: professor calls for regional cooperation on transboundary haze and black carbon emissions

A professor from the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Health urged Southeast Asian countries to work together on transboundary air pollution. Speaking at a workshop in Malaysia, he highlighted that black carbon from fossil fuel combustion is a major cause of lung adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer rising even as smoking declines. He noted that haze episodes during El Nino years show how pollutants cross borders, especially between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The professor argued that no single country can solve the problem alone, because emissions sources vary widely. Singapore regulates vehicle pollution tightly, but Cambodia faces multiple diffuse sources. He called for a coordinated regional approach rather than one-size-fits-all policies. The workshop also stressed that journalists and policymakers need to push for better reporting and regulation of black carbon, which remains largely unregulated globally. For carbon and climate watchers, the story matters because it ties air quality directly to health outcomes and shows why emissions control cannot stop at national borders. It also points to a gap in current policy: black carbon is a potent short-lived climate pollutant, yet few governments track or limit it. Regional cooperation on this front could deliver both health and climate benefits.