The government must improve the country’s monitoring systems for air quality to address inadequacies in data on air pollution and its dangers to people, according to Greenpeace Philippines.
In a report released last week, Greenpeace said only 45 percent of people in the Philippines live within 25 kilometers of an air quality monitoring station, most of which are located in Metro Manila.
The study noted the disparity in access to air quality data is putting vulnerable populations at greater risk from air pollution apart from the fact that access to such data, which are not updated regularly, is also difficult.
Greenpeace’s report also said almost all Filipinos are breathing air that doesn’t meet World Health Organization guidelines, with as much as 25 percent of the total population exposed to annual average particulate matter 2.5 concentrations that are at least five times over the guidelines.
The group said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should expand its air quality monitoring capacity not just by increasing the number of stations but also by enabling the monitoring of other dangerous pollutants.
“Currently, our country has very few air quality monitoring stations, and those that are located near fossil fuel-fired power plants don’t monitor pollutants like methane and sulfur, which comes from fossil gas and pose risks to people’s health. Having the full capacity to monitor air quality means being able to mount a strong case against the fossil fuel industry particularly coal and fossil gas and ultimately prevent them from dealing more damage to our environment and communities,” said Khevin Yu, Greenpeace Philippines campaigner, in a statement.
Aaron Pedrosa, secretary-general of Sanlakas and co-chairman of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice Energy Working Group, saidthe government failed to protect and promote people’s right to clean air despite the decades-old enactment of the Clean Air Act.
“Our air standards are outmoded and have fallen far behind latest science. And despite the failure to regulate, the government continues on an approving spree to more projects that would further deteriorate the dismal quality of our country’s air,” Pedrosa said.
Based on data from the Air Quality Management Section of the Environmental Management Bureau, there are 15 air quality monitoring stations deployed in Metro Manila.
Of the 15, eight were updated and online as of yesterday, those in Caloocan, Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Pasig and Taguig. – Jed Macapagal
