OUR PREVIOUS KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR NACOSS IV
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR NACOSS IV
NACOSS IV
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Keynote Speech 2 The 'Crime' of Haze: The Politics of Land, Nature and Human Rights The Southeast Asian region has been experiencing increasingly frequent events of transboundary haze for several decades now. Much of this haze originates from Indonesia, specifically from fires related to traditional and commercial agricultural activity. While these activities have been credited for fueling rapid development in Indonesia and the larger region, human and non-human communities around Southeast Asia have had to suffer its ill effects. This talk explores the concept of such pollution as a crime, both in terms of human and non-human rights. It also touches on the intricacies of local and regional politics that have permitted this 'crime' to continue unabated. About the Speaker: Dr Helena Varkkey is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of International and Strategic Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The findings of her PhD research has been published as a book under the Routledge Malaysian Studies Series entitled "The Haze Problem in Southeast Asia: Palm Oil and Patronage". She maintains an online blog entitled "The Forest for the Palms" and continues to conduct research in this area. |