Many people who look like candidates for extermination by the shock troops of the administration may be thin and gaunt not because they are abusing drugs but because of illness as well as malnutrition from poverty. And health experts have linked illnesses including chronic respiratory problems, strokes, heart disease and lung cancer to air pollution.
In a comprehensive study on the scourge of air pollution, the World Health Organization reported that 6.76 billion people – 92 percent of the global population of 7.35 billion — live in places where air pollution exceeds recommended health limits. Among the worst hit, the WHO reported last week, are countries in Southeast Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and western Pacific.
In 2012, an estimated 6.5 million deaths were linked to air pollution. Nearly nine out of the 10 deaths, according to the WHO study, occurred in low- and middle-income countries, which cannot cope adequately with air pollution from the top sources: vehicle emissions, industries, household kerosene lamps and coal-fired power plants. Women, children and the elderly are the most vulnerable.
The WHO conducted the study to encourage governments to take decisive action against the scourge. The Philippines passed the Comprehensive Clean Air Act or Republic Act 8749 way back in 1999. As in many laws in this country, however, enforcement of RA 8749 has been spotty. This is most evident in Metro Manila and other urban centers, where vehicles particularly jeepneys, buses, trucks and motorcycles emit black smoke despite the requirement for emission tests during vehicle registration. Open burning of solid waste adds to the problem, with residents living near city dumps suffering from chronic diseases.
These are problems that are not impossible to address, if given sufficient official attention. More pressure can be exerted to compel industries to comply with clean air standards. The government must also provide sufficient support for the development and use of clean energy sources such as solar and wind power. The country’s geothermal power and natural gas resources have not been fully tapped.
Metro Manila and Cebu ranked low in sustainability in a recent study comparing key cities worldwide. Among the factors considered in sustainability is the environment, which includes air quality. Dealing decisively with the problem is an investment in every nation’s most precious resource – its people. It’s an investment that the Philippine government must make.