Biomass Burning in South/Southeast Asia – Needs and Priorities
Krishna Prasad Vadrevu, Toshimasa Ohara, Christopher Justice
Abstract
In several regions of the world, including South/Southeast Asia (S/SEA), biomass burning is an important source of atmospheric aerosols and greenhouse gases. During the last few decades, fire events in S/SEA have been attracting international attention due to the significant transboundary pollution impacting air quality and human health. Information on vegetation fires and their drivers is required at varied spatial scales to address biomass burning impacts. In this introductory chapter, we provide an overview of satellite-derived fire regime characteristics over S/SEA. We then highlight some of the critical research needs and priorities on fire mapping and monitoring, drivers, emissions, health impacts, etc., including international policy and capacity-building efforts needed to address biomass burning pollution in S/SEA.