MAS'UD

Environmental issues in Indonesia : Forest fires in 1997    The 1997 group of forest fires in Indonesia that lasted well into 1998 were probably among the two or three, if not the largest, forest fires group in the last two centuries of recorded history.In the middle of 1997 forest fires burning in Indonesia began to affect neighbouring countries, spreading thick clouds of smoke and haze to Malaysia and Singapore.   By late 1997 and early 1998 Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Sri Lankahad also felt the haze from the smoke of the forest fires. By the time the 1997-98 forest fires were finally over some 8 million hectares of land had burned while countless millions of people suffered from air pollution.    The 1997 Indonesian forest fires were caused by changing land use which made the tropical forest vulnerable to fire during a drought associated with that year's El Niño. Indonesian forests have historically been resistant to burning ...

Single Plastic Use Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These items are things like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles and most food packaging.  We produce roughly 300 million tons of plastic each year and half of it is disposable! World-wide only 10-13% of plastic items are recycled. The nature of petroleum based disposable plastic makes it difficult to recycle and they have to add new virgin materials and chemicals to it to do so. Additionally there are a limited number of items that recycled plastic can be used. Petroleum based plastic is not biodegradable and usually goes into a landfill where it is buried or it gets into the water and finds it’s way into the ocean. Although plastic will not biodegrade (decompose into natural substance like soil,) it will degrade (break down) into tiny particles after many years. In the process of breaking down,...

Indonesian capital  city movement What is happening in Indonesia? Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo has announced the national capital will move from Jakarta, on the island of Java, to the province of East Kalimantan, on Borneo. Widodo told a press conference in Jakarta on Monday: “The government has conducted in-depth studies in the past three years and as a result of those studies the new capital will be built in part of North Penajam Paser regency and part of Kutai Kertanegara regency in East Kalimantan.” This is a plan that has been suggested by various Indonesian presidents over decades, but it looks like the move will finally, actually happen. Widodo said the government will prepare a bill to be considered by the House of Representatives. If approved, construction could start next year. Where will the new capital be? The move would see the government’s administrative functions moved from Jakarta to a yet-to-be-built city in Kalimantan, more than ...

Gender Equality Gender equality , also known as  sexual equality  or  equality of the sexes , is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender. To avoid complication,  other genders  (besides women and men) will  not  be treated in this gender equality article. Gender equality is the goal, while gender neutrality and gender equity are practices and ways of thinking that help in achieving the goal. Gender parity, which is used to measure gender balance in a given situation, can aid in achieving gender equality but is not the goal in and of itself. Gender equality is more than equal representation, it is strongly tied to  women's rights , and often requires policy changes. As of 2017, the global movement for gender equality has not incorporated ...