Foul odour of failed air pollution policy

FEW anti-pollution proposals outclass the creativity of Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde's scheme to convert fine airborne particulates into jewellery. The Smog Free Project, an air purification tower recently introduced in Beijing, runs largely on wind energy and produces material for rings and cufflinks. Although its scalability is debatable, this project points more broadly to the need for creative grassroots intervention in the absence of effective public policy. While global leaders incessantly pontificate about emissions reduction targets, often at summits resembling political theatre more than substantive progress, respiratory complications related to air pollution continue to kill millions, many economically vulnerable and politically underrepresented. The data is clear about the urgency for intervention, and the content of good policy is no mystery. The greatest hurdle is the political indifference implicated in repeated policy failures.

Air pollution crises may seem like old news, particularly amid the alarming issues now hogging news headlines. While terrorism, political violence, political and economic uncertainty, pandemics, and sea-level rises are formidable threats to human livelihoods, air pollution continues to have an unparalleled impact on survival. An estimated 6.5 million deaths worldwide are attributable to air pollution each year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The World Health Organization (WHO) has established guidelines for air quality based on the concentration and size of particulate matter; the smaller the particulates, the deeper and more harmful their penetration into human lungs can be. For particulates less than 10 microns wide (PM10), the critical threshold is 20 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre) as an annual mean, and 50 μg/m3 as a daily mean. For those less than 2.5 microns wide (PM2.5), the threshold is 10 μg/m3 (annual) and 25 μg/m3 (daily). WHO suggests that a reduction in PM10 from 70 μg/m3 (a common level in developing cities) to 20 μg/m3 could result in a 15 per cent decrease in pollution-related deaths.

Household air pollution, which accounts for the majority of related deaths in India, comprises the burning of solid fuels such as coal, wood, dung, and crop residue; these are vital sources of power and heat in poor and developing regions. For example, crop burning in Indonesia has compromised air quality in neighboring countries such as Singapore, causing public resentment and diplomatic tension. Ambient air pollution, which accounts for a small majority of air pollution-related deaths in China, comprises emissions from power plants and vehicles, among other sources; these activities are more common in wealthier developed regions.