Air pollution is the largest environmental health hazard in Asia and the Pacific. Currently, 92% of Asia-Pacific’s population—around 4 billion people—is exposed to unhealthy or toxic levels of air pollution. Each year, about 4 million people in Asia-Pacific (7 million people worldwide) die prematurely from air pollution-related diseases. Thus, it is imperative and a big challenge to effectively mitigate air pollution in Asia-Pacific.
On October 30, 2018, the United Nations Environment Program released a report titled “Air pollution in Asia and the Pacific: Science-based solutions” at the World Health Organisation’s first Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health in Geneva. This report is the first assessment of the air pollution outlook in Asia-Pacific. Taking the region’s considerable diversity into account, the report details 25 policy and technological measures to tackle air pollution and groups these measures into three categories:
The first category is conventional emission controls, focusing on emissions that lead to the formation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The second is next-stage air-quality measures for reducing emissions that lead to the formation of PM2.5. The third is measures contributing to development priority goals with benefits for air quality.
To facilitate a better understanding, these measures can be further classified into two categories according to their effects on PM2.5: direct and indirect. All items in each category are presented in the following:
Direct measures to tackle air pollution
- Introduce post-combustion controls at power stations and in large-scale industries
- Advanced emissions standards in industrial processes (e.g., iron/steel plants, cement factories)
- Strengthen all emissions standards for road vehicles
- Enforce mandatory inspection and maintenance of diesel vehicles
- Suppress construction and road dust; increase green areas
- Strictly enforce bans on open burning of household waste
- Strictly enforce bans on open burning of agricultural residues
- Introduce emissions standards for brick kilns
- Foster extended the use of wind, solar, and hydropower for electricity generation
- Introduce ambitious energy efficiency standards for the industry
- Use clean fuels in cities and advanced stoves in rural areas for cooking and heating
- Improve the energy efficiency of household appliances
- Promote the use of electric vehicles
- Encourage a shift from private passenger vehicles to public transport
- Introduce advanced standards for oil and gas production and delivery
- Require low-sulphur fuels for international shipping
Indirect measures for improving air quality
- Encourage centralized waste collection with source separation and treatment
- Introduce well-managed two-stage treatment of wastewater
- Introduce standards for Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant replacement
- Introduce low-solvent paints for industrial and do-it-yourself applications
- Prevent forest and peatland fires
- Introduce covered storage and efficient application of manures
- Establish efficient application of nitrogen fertilizer
- Encourage intermittent aeration of continuously flooded paddies
- Encourage pre-mining recovery of coal mine gas
According to the UN report, effectively implementing all 25 measures would result in a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide and a 45% reduction in methane emissions, reducing premature mortality in the region by one-third and helping avoid about 2 million premature deaths from indoor air pollution.
Practically, these measures are applicable not only in Asia but also in other areas where air pollution is becoming poor.
