 |
Table of Contents |
 |
|
|
Asian Environment Outlook 2001 :
I. The Changing Environment :
State of the Environment in the Region
Air Quality
Air pollution levels in the region’s most populated cities are among the highest in the world and climbing, causing
serious human health impacts (see Box 1-4). Unlike the effects of water pollution, which are borne mainly by the
poor, no resident of any major city in the region is safe from the effects of air pollution. However, the poor are disproportionately
exposed to air pollution, living along roads and in industrial areas, thus suffering the highest concentration of
air pollutants almost constantly.
Box 1-4. Urban Air Quality: Dark Skies
The air in Asia’s cities is among the most polluted in the
world. The levels of ambient particulates—smoke particles
and dust, which cause respiratory disease—are generally
twice the world average and more than five times as high
as in industrial countries and Latin America. Throughout
Asia, lead emissions from vehicles are also well above safe
levels. Ambient levels of sulfur dioxide—an important cross-border
pollutant that contributes to acid rain, which in turn
damages crops and eats away at synthetic structures—are
50 percent higher in Asia than in either Africa or Latin
America. They are, however, still only one third of the level
in industrial countries.
Levels of air pollution substantially exceed the international
standards for air quality set by the World Health Organization
(WHO). Ten of Asia’s 11 large cities exceed WHO guidelines
for particulate matter by a factor of at least three, four exceed
acceptable lead levels, and three exceed acceptable ozone
and sulfur dioxide levels. Among the 41 cities ranked by
the total range and average level of particulate pollution,
13 of the dirtiest 15 were in Asia.
____________________
Source: ADB 1997
|
The combustion of fossil fuels is the largest source of
air pollution in urban areas. In the vast majority of Asian
cities, transportation is the major source of pollution. The
number of cars in Asia is growing exponentially. In Delhi
and Manila, for example, the number of cars has doubled
every 7 years (ADB 1999).
Wood fuels and low quality coal pose a number of
environmental and human health problems. Indoor air
pollution from the smoke of burning wood fuels is one of
the largest environmental risk factors for ill health of any
kind (see Box 1-5). Developing countries consume about
77 percent of the world’s supply of wood fuels. Although,
wood fuels account for 7 percent of the world’s energy
supply, Asia is by far the biggest consumer of wood fuels,
accounting for nearly 44 percent of global consumption (FAO
2000). WHO estimates that 1.5 billion people live in
unhealthy air. Four million to five million child deaths are
attributed to acute respiratory infection each year. Studies
in India, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea show that non-smoking
women who have cooked on biomass stoves for
many years exhibit a high prevalence of chronic lung diseases
(such as asthma and chronic bronchitis). These studies also
revealed a 50 percent increase in stillbirths in women exposed
to indoor smoke during pregnancy in
Western India (World Bank 2000).
Box 1-5. Health Impacts of Biofuels Consumption
Indoor air pollution results from household use of biofuels.
Burning wood fuel releases carbon monoxide, nitrogen
oxides, benzene, formaldehyde, aromatics, and particulate
matter. Particulate concentrations often exceed 10-100
times the health standard in the United States. Prolonged
exposure to these substances is a major health issue in
many DMCs.
____________________
Souce: Kammen 1995
|
The swift expansion of commercial energy use in many countries has increased the reliance on energy imports, particularly
crude oil. Only four countries in Asia are energy self-sufficient — Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Viet Nam. All these nations
are major oil exporters. Hong Kong, China; Japan; Republic of Korea; Philippines; PRC; and Singapore all rely on imports for more than half
of their commercial energy supply.
Energy use is increasing rapidly in the region (see Box 1-6) and is expected to double again over the next 20 years,
from 84.5 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2000 to 177.9 quadrillion Btu in 2020 (U.S. Department of Energy
1999). Asia already consumes one-third of the world’s commercial fuels and a much greater share of traditional
fuels. Asia holds one-third of the world’s coal reserves and relies on coal for about 40 percent of its commercial energy.
Per capita use of commercial energy more than doubled during the past two decades. Electrification is also increasing
at an average annual rate of 16 percent (Cleveland 2001).
Box 1-6. Increase in Energy Consumption
Driven by the rapid expansion of Asian economies,
commercial energy use in Asia grew to an average annual
rate of 5.9 percent from 1980 to 1998. This rate of growth
is significantly faster than the rates for the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations
(0.9 percent) and the world (1.8 percent) over the same
period.
____________________
Source: Cleveland 2001
|
A heavy dependence on fossil fuels in the region is accompanied by substantial air pollution and escalating
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (see Box 1-7). Another significant contributor to air pollution is the effects of
aerosols on the ozone layer. A recent study in India is determining the impacts of the accumulation of aerosol or “brown
cloud” to the atmosphere. Emissions of sulfur dioxide in the PRC will double over the next 20 years. The resulting
acid deposition could cause widespread degradation of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in large sections of
southern and eastern PRC, northern and eastern India, the Korean peninsula, and northern and central Thailand.
Box 1-7. RAINS-Asia Model Forecast
The RAINS-Asia model developed at International Institute
for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), forecasts a grim
scenario for the region. Most scenarios of energy use in
Asia include a continued reliance on the abundant coal
resources in the region. The RAINS model forecasts a very
significant increase in the emission of oxides of nitrogen
and sulfur by 2020. As a result, the breach of critical acid
deposition thresholds will increase. If this scenario
materializes, the impacts on ecosystems and human health
will far outstrip the impacts to date.
|
The impacts of air pollution and its contribution to
climate change are not limited by regional or country
boundaries. These impacts are of global concern because
for the first time in history, human actions are on a scale
that threatens global life support systems (see Box 1-8).
Box 1-8. Global Environmental Impacts
The most significant global problems are climate change, human inputs to the nitrogen cycle, the depletion of stratospheric
ozone, the transnational movement of toxic substances, the loss of biodiversity, and ocean degradation. Countries in the Asia
and Pacific region contribute to global environmental problems and in turn are among the most vulnerable to their effects.
The most serious global concern is climate change. The global average surface temperature of the earth has risen by approximately
0.6 o C since the late 19 th century. The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) has increased by 31 percent since
1750. There is a growing scientific consensus that human activity has made a discernible contribution to this change. Various
activities release greenhouse gases (GHG) such as (CO2) , methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), and nitrous oxide, which trap
heat energy released by the earth. The globally averaged surface temperature is projected to increase by 1.4 to 5.8 o C by 2100.
Much of the increase in atmospheric GHG concentrations stems from historic fossil fuel use in industrial nations. About three
quarters of the anthropogenic emissions of (CO2) during the past 20 years are due to fossil fuel burning. The United States is the
largest emitter of GHGs in the world, accounting for about 19 percent of total emissions, but Asia plays an important and growing
role in climate change. Nations in the region contribute 38 percent of global (CO2) emissions from commercial energy use. Asia’s
heavy dependence on carbon-intensive fuels such as coal and oil has produced an annual rate of growth in (CO2) emissions that
was twice the average world rate of 2.6 percent per year from 1975 to 1995. Industrial release of (CO2) grew 60 percent faster in
Asia than the rest of the world over the last few decades. However, (CO2) emissions per capita are low, little more than half the
world average and barely more than 10 percent of the level in North America in 1995.
Two global issues are related to the movement of toxic and hazardous substances. The first is the transboundary transportation
of these substances. More than 400 million tons of hazardous wastes are generated every year, and a significant portion is
transported across national borders. Developing countries frequently lack the technical knowledge and equipment for safely
managing and treating hazardous wastes. They are concerned about their use as dumping grounds for wastes that other
countries export because of higher domestic costs or regulatory control. Developing countries are also concerned about the
potential health risks posed by imported hazardous wastes that are recycled into new products. The second global issue relates
to longrange, airborne persistent organic pollutants (POP). POPs cause serious health effects in humans and wildlife, especially
in the Arctic region because they tend to migrate north and south from tropical regions toward the poles.
____________________
Sources: US EPA 1997; ADB 1997
|
 Back
Water Resources | Next
Urban Population |
Publications 
Top of page