Air is a resource essential to all life forms. It is also an efficient medium for distribution of harmful chemical, physical and biological agents. Ever since human discovered fire we have been affected by air pollution. Indeed the majority of known illnesses and deaths caused by chemicals, smoke, dust and radiation since the Industrial Revolution have occurred through inhalation of these substances from fire, cigarette smoke and contaminated air. But how and why are we here in Borneo, a considerably remote part of the world, suddenly become subsumed by an environmental problem that are more commonly associated with big and overcrowded cities like Los Angeles or Mexico City. Malaysians, particularly those in Sarawak, are almost rudely awakened to come face to face with the grim and somber hazards of air pollution? We were suddenly jolted to our senses when a state of haze emergency was declared in Sarawak on the mid-morning of 19th September 1997.
Is it possible that all these years in our rush to prosper and emerge as a developed nation by year 2020, we have been lulled into a state of complacency? Have we been indifferent to the tell-tales that have been appearing before us? A good look around us will reveal the many symptoms and consequences indicating that our outdoor air has indeed long been contaminated. We have been immune to breathing polluted air brought about by concentrated urban areas and the use of fossil fuels in homes, factories, power plants and transportation. Acute and short-term episodes of respiratory illness associated with air pollution have continually affected us especially the young ones and those with chronic respiratory illness or allergies. But it is no big deal and there is no real cause for alarm as these problems are usually self- limiting and will be over in a matter of days, we said. So we go on with our daily lives as usual.
But, lo and behold, what has happened now? A state of haze emergency in Sarawak? Barely two months have passed after we in Sarawak were told to keep our young ones indoors because of the fatal outbreak of the purported Cocksackie virus, we are now confronted with another compelling reason to stay indoors lest we might choke to death outside. The number of cases of respiratory diseases and allergic reactions has risen at an unprecedented rate over the last few weeks. The dangers not only seem real but are actually here to stay and inflict more people on a long-term effect. More dramatic consequences of the haze pollution include the closing of airports and an increase in the number of road accidents due to poor visibility. The haze pollution we are experiencing today may also bring about effects that are less tangible. For instance, it can be safely predicted that damage and even death of trees and agricultural crops will also follow long after the haze is gone. In whatever ways the assaults are manifested upon us, it ought to be evident to us today that air pollution can be a major blight on our march to progress.
Local and Regional Environmental Effects of Forest Burning
Deliberate tropical deforestation which led to uncontrollable burning of forests in Kalimantan and Sumatra has been censured as the primary cause of haze formation and its associated hazards we are currently experiencing. Estimates put it that annually an area of more than 20 million hectares of tropical forests are cleared throughout the globe and a major proportion of this forest clearance for agricultural use occurs in Indonesia and Malaysia through open burning. The rate of deforestation in Tropical Asia alone is estimated to double each year. Deforestation is known to give rise to a number of local environmental effects such as erosion of soils, reduced rainfall, reduced capacity of soils to hold water and increased frequency and severity of floods and siltation of rivers. Another major contributory factor to the haze pollution is the burning of huge areas of crop plantations, particularly oil palm, in making preparations for the new planting season. The long drought season still prevailing in the region have also contributed to the fire raging out on control and spreading wildly for months on end.
Climate Change and Global Warming
Greenhouse gases and ozone depletion Our fervent wish at the moment is that a huge tropical gush of wind can blow away the last of the smothering mixture of gases and soots around us so that we can breath normally and go back to our normal routine again. But that may only help to solve some of our immediate problems associated with the current haze pollution, not quite all of them. Burning of forests are known to contribute to a host of other environmental problems that have far-reaching effects at both regional and global scales. An array of chemically or radioactively active trace gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide are released to the atmosphere during forest burning. The first three belong to the "greenhouse gases" that are known to contribute to the global warming. Carbon dioxide is produced mostly by burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and petroleum and also by burning wood. Methane is produced when wood is burned inefficiently like when forests are set afire. Nitrous oxide is produced in coal burning and also in forest fires. Small amounts of nitrous oxide are released during the burning of forests, but, as a result of microbial activity in the soil, most of the release occurs in the months following a fire. Nitrous oxide is not only a greenhouse gas, but plays a major role in the destruction of stratospheric ozone, which shields the earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation. It has the ability to stay in the atmosphere for centuries and eventually floats up into the stratosphere, where it helps destroy the ozone layer. The ozone loss is not fully understood, but scientists believe that chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) - one of the main greenhouse gases - are the primary contributor. The ozone layer, extending from about 18 to 30 miles above the earth shields the planet from the sun's ultraviolet rays, which can harm many forms of life. In human beings, damages from ozone depletion in the stratosphere can range from skin cancers to immune diseases to eye cataracts. Carbon monoxide is not a greenhouse gas but it can indirectly increase the concentrations of other greenhouse gases such as methane. More carbon monoxide is released during smoldering fires than during rapid burning or flaming. Thus all these subtle effects of forest burning will continue to play their deleterious role long after we have settled into our normal breathing not cumbered by surgical masks or gone back to our regular jogging schedules outdoors.
Greenhouse gases and global warming
The effect of the greenhouse gases on global warming and climate change should be of great concern to all of us because it will affect our health, our food supply and the plant and animal species around us. As emissions of these gases increase, more and more of Earth's radiant heat will be trapped and reemitted downward, warming the Earth's surface. The effect of these additional trace gases on global warming will be dramatic. The world could be 3 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit warmer by 2030. What does this increase in degrees mean to us on planet Earth? In the last 10,000 years, the average temperature of the planet has increased less than 4 degrees Fahrenheit, but over the past 100 years alone, Earth's average temperature has risen by about 1.0 degree Fahrenheit. As numerous studies of the greenhouse effect confirm, a 3.6- degree Fahrenheit temperature change would bring with it profound and pervasive changes. For example, it has been projected that should temperatures increase by a mere increase of 1.4-degree Fahrenheit per decade, startling impacts worldwide will result: there will be extreme shifts in temperature in the high altitudes, more rain in the wet tropics, and a sea-level rise of as much as 1.5 meters by the middle of the next century - enough to erode beaches and coasts, destroy wetlands, and bring on severe flood damage to many low-lying countries.
No exit situation or are there options?
Is the build-up of greenhouse gases amidst us an inescapable by-product of our civilization? Or do we still have the options for improving our air quality? Many of the industrialized countries of the world launched programs to improve urban air quality by controlling emissions from fossil fuel combustion, industrial processes and waste disposal. Until today Malaysia's Air Quality Act has not made its debut yet to guarantee that every citizen is entitled to breath air of a quality sufficient to protect human health and welfare. When passed and executed, the Act should be able to achieve its goal of setting national ambient air quality standards for the most commonly found pollutants around us. These standards not only must be achieved everywhere in Malaysia by specified dates but also must be maintained through programs limiting the emissions of existing and new sources of pollutants.
The greatest potential to deal with existing and future air quality problems is to have a policy that focuses primarily to prevent the generation of air pollutants wherever possible and the use of conventional air pollution technology to reduce residual emissions. We should begin by looking hard at the habits and activities of our society that result in air pollution. Next we should attempt to manage or restructure these polluting habits and activities in a way that minimizes the generation of the pollution. For instance, we should consider the movement of people and goods; the location of residences, work, and recreation; the production and use of energy; and other activities that use energy derived from fossil fuels.
A first step in carrying out this approach could be to create incentives for energy efficiency and conservation. Increased energy efficiency and conservation are cost effective, will result in substantial improvements in air quality and will promote sustainable economic growth. A second step would be to begin restructuring the ways in which people and goods are transported. Programs to encourage car-pooling and the use of mass transportation as well as the location of residences closer to work and recreation will have important air quality benefits in the long run. A third step would be to look at an alternative process, material, or fuel for the activity that generates air pollution. A fourth step is the application of best available air pollution control technologies to residual emissions from major sources. Combustion modifications, particulate control devices, and scrubbers could minimize emissions of air pollutants to our atmosphere. Unfortunately, so far, we have no inexpensive and effective technology available to do so, or any program for reducing fossil fuel use.
As we deliberate future actions, we should all subscribe to a philosophy of protection to keep the air that we breath as clean as possible from the impact of human activities. Clean air is essential in supporting a healthy ecosystem for a high quality life and, ultimately, survival. This philosophy involves changing lifestyles to reduce the generation of pollutants and the consumption of natural resources. It involves a moral view that the air should be clean for this and future generations. As for those in higher places in whose hands we trust them with policies and strategies to clean our air, may we remind them that there have been too many signposts of imminent dangers and dooms for us to ignore and plead our innocence or ignorance. Open burning, continued emission of toxic fumes and generation of other air pollutants through our own over-consumptive behavior and activities have been left largely unchecked. It is not for want of additional and new institutional legislation, but for more effective enforcement of the existing Acts and Laws on environmental quality and natural resource conservation. The scourge from our own greed and over-consumption has clearly indicated that indeed we have stepped over the line on the question of natural resource exploitation. The red flag is already up and it is time for us to reflect and take stock of our own polluting and wasteful lifestyles. In this respect, we are not asking the government to shift the spotlight from economic development to environmental and resource conservation but to strike a balance between them. Maybe the time is also ripe for us to begin thinking of other essentials of life like water and our biodiversity. Here again the signposts are pointing distinctly at the dangers that lie ahead. On one hand, Malaysian scientists are needed to carefully examine and bring into correct perspective the forces of both environmental and economic choices that can drive us into becoming a truly progressive nation.. Politicians and industrialists, on the other hand, must be rightly open and sufficiently sensitive as to cast away any cloud of suspicion that hangs over anyone who dares to bring into public eyes any violation of our environmental ethics and norms. Optimistically, we trust in some radical way, the recent plight of haze emergency in Sarawak, can help heighten our awareness and foster a sympathetic attitude in all of us to influence the future policies pertaining to forest burning. Future generations will applaud our foresight and action but will condemn our lack thereof.
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