Indonesia to trial dry ice cloud seeding to combat forest fire haze

Indonesia is turning to cloud-seeding technology as toxic haze from raging wildfires continues to shroud parts of the archipelago. A trial operation scheduled for Thursday will see an aircraft release solid carbon dioxide pellets into the atmosphere above South Sumatra province, which has emerged as one of the worst-affected areas.

The experimental approach reflects growing desperation among Indonesian authorities to tackle the persistent air quality crisis. Wildfires ravaging the country's forests and peatlands have blanketed multiple regions in thick smog, posing significant health risks to residents and disrupting transportation and commerce across the region.

Dry ice cloud seeding works by introducing particles into the atmosphere that encourage cloud formation and precipitation, potentially breaking up dense haze layers. While the technique has been employed elsewhere, its application in Indonesia's current crisis represents an unconventional response to environmental challenges that conventional firefighting efforts have struggled to contain.

The trial will provide authorities with data on the method's effectiveness in Indonesia's specific environmental conditions. Officials hope the results will inform whether large-scale deployment could help mitigate the impacts of future fire events in the resource-rich but fire-prone nation.