Cars biggest threat to climate change?

A comprehensive UN study whose results are yet to be disclosed warn that vehicles have emerged as the biggest source of threat to global climate change. Citing a “leaked” draft of the report, Bloomberg said the huge demand of consumer goods from countries like China, Brazil and India – which have to be delivered by trucks, trains, ship or planes – have contributed to the rising “new” pollution due to carbon emissions from these vehicles.

Although the power industry, particularly with the use of coal and diesel in power plants is a significant contributor of toxic emissions, the exhaust from cars and other vehicles have more than doubled since 1970, expanding at a rate faster than any other energy end-use sector, the report noted.

An earlier study from the World Health Organization (WHO) also underscored that the single biggest environmental health risk is air pollution, which is blamed for an estimated seven million deaths every year since 2012. According to the WHO study, outdoor pollution coming from vehicle exhaust due to traffic, plus indoor pollution from wood and coal stoves, cause more deaths than smoking, vehicular accidents and diabetes all put together.

Close to four million deaths due to stroke and heart disease are linked to air pollution, with majority of deaths occurring in Asia, the WHO report said. Worse, Southeast Asia has been singled out as “the most polluted region in the world, with 3.3 million deaths linked to air pollution and 2.6 million deaths linked to outdoor air pollution,” an official confirmed. In rich countries like the US, air pollution from car emissions is being linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths every year.

No question, the worsening air pollution in Metro Manila can be largely attributed to the traffic situation. Traffic is also causing economic losses that could reach as much as P6 billion per day by 2030, according to a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Unfortunately, aside from the pollution generated by the traffic gridlocks in Metro Manila and other urban areas, we also get “imported” Chinese pollution – what with the deadly smog and other toxic fumes coming from factories and coal power plants located across many cities in China. In fact, the World Bank has pinpointed 16 cities in China as among the 20 most polluted cities in the world.

No wonder a lot of expats are refusing to work in China because of the health risks involved. According to a recent survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce for businesses in Beijing, about 48 percent of survey respondents said they have great difficulty recruiting senior executives, while those that are already working in China are reluctant to stay due to the worsening air pollution. The toxic air quality has also made it more expensive for businesses because of frequent absences due to lung-related illness, not to mention the fact that several air filters covering the entire office space have to be installed.

UN climate panel warns of food shortage

Another growing problem due to climate change is the rising temperature, with the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change saying heat waves, melting ice caps and sea creatures are dying or going extinct due to erratic weather patterns. The report painted a grim picture of the world as we know it in the next few decades, citing the risks that carbon and other toxic emissions place on people and how it could make poverty reduction and food security more difficult to achieve.

One aspect in the report that really drew attention is the strong warning about food supply, with a growing body of research indicating that food crops are becoming more sensitive to warmer climates and water stress, citing lower outputs for wheat and corn production at a global scale. The same IPCC report also said life in Metro Manila and other coastal cities will get even worse as temperatures rise. People, particularly those in Mindanao, are already suffering from the heat, exacerbated by the continuing power crisis. In fact, the report warned that food will become more expensive due to extreme weather patterns but worse, blackouts would become a sure occurrence compounded by disease and water shortage.

Major victory for RH Bill

The UN IPCC report cites population growth as a driver of pollution – which is understandable since large populations put so much stress on dwindling natural resources. Today, the global population is estimated at 7.2 billion and projected to reach 8.1 billion by 2025. For such a small country, the Philippines has earned the dubious distinction of having one of the largest populations estimated at 107.66 million today, according to global data repository Geoba.se, which puts us at no. 12 in the list of countries with the biggest populations. By 2030, Euromonitor says, the number of Filipinos will reach 128 million – with urban dwellers making up over 54 percent of the entire population.

One can only imagine the impact of over population in this country in light of the warnings issued by the WHO and UN IPCC reports on the impact of climate change. Which is probably opportune that the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Reproductive Health bill which is really long overdue, having languished for 14 long years in the cellars of Congress before it was finally passed into law in December 2012 – only to be stymied when anti-RH bill groups filed a case before the SC questioning its constitutionality.

While the effects of the bill will be felt much later, this will be a big legacy of President Aquino in helping manage the population. My brother, the late Dr. Quasi who was one of the strong advocates of the RH bill, would have been happy to see this finally pushed through.–Babe G. Romualdez (The Philippine Star)