It might be common sense that the world is on a mission to reduce or even eliminate air pollution. But are we actually just shifting the problem elsewhere? After all, as the saying goes: out of sight, out of mind.
Large-scale currents like jet streams do not just carry wind, they also carry pollutant particles across long distances. Transboundary Atmospheric Pollution (TAP), also known as intercontinental transport of air pollution, has been receiving increasing global attention as a result of rapid and widespread industrialisation and urbanisation. The largest source region is East Asia, an area heavily influenced by the Siberian forest fires, westerly flows, and the Indian monsoon trade winds.
Non-biomass burning pollutants coming from industrial activities, maritime traffic, and fossil fuel power stations would be a significant contributor to TAP in other parts of the world by 2030. This could potentially undermine efforts to achieve sustainable development by failing to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals within the stipulated timeframe.
To illustrate the gravity of the matter, Fig 1 shows the dramatic extent of transboundary pollution between two countries only – India and China. Evidently, air (and air pollution) travels extensively across the two states within a span of a few months. Its levels encroach into the hazardous region of more than 150 as compared to surrounding regions. India is overtaking China as the world’s biggest emitter of anthropogenic sulfur dioxide, leading to severe haze problems experienced.
Fig 1: Long-range transboundary air pollution transport between India and China, documented with carbon monoxide measurements (Source: ESA, 2018)
China is not the only country affected by the cross-border transmission of pollutants – Singapore is also a victim. The 2013 haze crisis was one of the worst cases in the nation’s history, causing the Pollutant Standard Index to spike to hazardous levels because of the forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Besides haze, TAP is also associated with a slew of other socio-environmental impacts. It can lead to the formation of acid rain, eutrophication of soil and water, heightened political tensions, and rising rates of premature deaths.
Air pollution does not know borders. Therefore, it is the responsibility of world leaders to implement detailed collaborative agreements and international regulations to resolve the issue of TAP. Although there have been efforts to curb emissions such as the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution signed by 10 member states in 2002, more needs to be done to ensure that the world continues to develop and progress in a sustainable manner. States worldwide must work closely together to prevent the escalation of political tensions and devise means to reduce or eliminate air pollution.
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