PH acts to curb air pollution, fight climate change

The government is stepping up efforts to address air pollution in the Philippines to reduce risks to human health and combat climate change.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antoni Yulo-Loyzaga is leading the initiative through the launch of an Asian collaborative research monitoring mission. The job aims to contribute to a better understanding and management of air pollution, which ultimately protects the health and well-being of the populations of the participating countries.

Air pollution is a major global issue that poses significant risks to human health, leading to chronic heart and lung diseases, lung cancer, stroke and respiratory infections.

“Furthermore, it contributes to the climate crisis and hastens global warming. With the world in need of cleaner air, governments are now working to prioritize preventing air pollution as an essential solution to one of the most pressing environmental problems in the world,” Loyzaga said.

“By utilizing the data and knowledge provided by this mission, we can enhance our air quality monitoring systems, develop evidence-based policies, and implement effective measures to improve public health and combat climate change,” she said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources cited the importance of international cooperation in addressing air pollution during the recent media launch of the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ) in Clark, Pampanga.

The ASIA-AQ project, led by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is an international collaborative research initiative with South Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Thailand’s GeoInformatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), and the Philippines’ DENR, Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), Manila Observatory and the University of the Philippines.

Loyzaga said the project would enhance air quality monitoring through access to advanced air quality monitoring techniques, including satellite data, ground-based observations and atmospheric modeling tools.

Improved monitoring capabilities will result to accurate and comprehensive assessment of air pollution that will help the local government executives implement interventions to address air pollution hotspots.