Indonesia wildfires and Norway permafrost thaw cause environmental crises

Indonesia is currently facing its most severe wildfire season in a decade. In central Kalimantan, air pollution has reached hazardous levels, creating a toxic haze that has been linked to hundreds of thousands of respiratory illnesses. The smoke has also drifted into neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.

In Norway, residents of the remote town of Longyearbyen have been advised to stop drinking tap water. Scientists have identified heavy metal contamination in the water supply, which they have linked to the thawing of permafrost in the rapidly warming region.