The Burning Season in Northen Thailand | Jack Kurtz: Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

ChiangMaiSmoke

07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice wearing a mask to block out smoke and pollutants works with his fellow novices at Wat Jetlin in Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ

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Filename: ChiangMaiBurning024.jpg
Image Size: 4276x3211 / 12.8MB; 040913 Buddhism Burning ChaingMaiClimateBurning Chiang Mai Climate Change Doi Suthep Global Warming Haze Landscape Monk Novice Pollution Religion Smoke Thailand
Contained in galleries: Thailand (All)

07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice wearing a mask to block out smoke and pollutants works with his fellow novices at Wat Jetlin in Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ