PEKON, Myanmar — A charred Myanmar hillside is wreathed by flames, spewing ochre smoke that smothers out sunlight in an apocalyptic scene.
But the villagers who set it ablaze dance below in a ceremony celebrating the inferno as a moment of regeneration and hope. 'It's a tradition from our ancestors,' said Joseph, a youth leader from Tha Yu village in Myanmar 's eastern Shan state. 'It's the only way we survive,' added Joseph, who goes by only one name. Every year between January and April, Southeast Asia is plagued by smog from farmers lighting fires to clear land, emitting microscopic PM 2.
A charred Myanmar hillside is wreathed by flames, spewing ochre smoke that smothers out sunlight in an apocalyptic scene. AFP PHOTO Environmentalists generally say slash and burn farming can be twice as harmful because it lays waste to tracts of existing plant life which would otherwise absorb carbon dioxide emissions.
Stokes Pollution At Myanmar 'Slash And Burn' Festival
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