Hi everyone! In today’s second post of the week, I will be covering 5 academic articles.
Three of the articles I found focus on air pollution caused by traffic congestion and wildfires. In Hayasaka et al. (2014) found that peat fires contribute to most of the photochemical smog in Indonesia. These fires produce various pollutants such as particulate matter (PM10), SO2, CO, O3, and NO2. There also a bunch of other pollutants mentioned in their paper, as seen in the screenshots below:
These fires are necessary, to make way for land used for oil palm plantations. These plantations are in high demand due to the demand for biofuels in the country. In McCarthy & Zen’s (2009) paper, I’ve learnt that Indonesia has attempted to regulate the expansion of this agro-industry to fight the pollution that it causes. These attempts include new governance approaches such as the introduction of ISO (International Organization for Standardizations) 14001 series of environmental management systems, as well as the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certification system. However, they argue that they have been largely unsuccessful, because industries do not conduct proper EIAs (Environmental Impact Assessments). Local agencies also have collusive forms of interaction with polluting industries. Corruption is not an issue exclusive to Indonesia. Many other countries in the Global South suffer from this too.
Apart from wildfires, air pollution in Indonesia is also caused by vehicles on congested roads. Kashima et al. (2010) attempted to find a two-way relationship between indoor and outdoor air pollution. As mentioned in a previous blogpost on Haiti and Fiji, indoor air pollution from indoor cooking is a phenomenon experienced in many countries in the Global South. As such, Kashima et al.’s findings proved that this was the case in Indonesia as well, and that indoor air pollution exacerbated the health effects residents faced as a result of outdoor air pollution. Put simply, outdoor air pollution simultaneously happens at the same time with indoor air pollution, leading to more respiratory issues for people.
The other two papers I found focused on pollution caused by plastics. In Firdaus et al.’s (2020) paper, I learnt about the density separation method. Through this method, Firdaus et al. investigated the presence and characteristics of microplastics in the sediment of an estuary and coast in Surabaya. They used a stereomicroscope to identify the sizes, components and colors of these microplastics. It is a relatively science-y paper, so I suggest you check it out to learn more! Meanwhile, Tyllianakis & Ferrini’s (2021) focused on studying the willingness of citizens to pay to reduce marine plastic pollution in Indonesia. They found that people are willing to pay only 15 euros, or as much as 2% of their average monthly salaries, to reduce marine plastic pollution per year. This is enlightening because it shows that citizens are willing to go out of their way to protect their environment. With research findings like these present, it is up to governments to pick up the challenge and design pollution mitigation and coping strategies for its citizens. I wonder if locals in other countries in the Global South are this committed too.
Up next, Madagascar. See you in the next one! ✿
References
Firdaus, M., Trihadiningrum, Y. & Lestari, P. (2020) Microplastic Pollution in the Sediment of Jagir Estuary, Surabaya City, Indonesia. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 150, 1-9. Available from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S0025326X19309464?via%3Dihub [Accessed: 25 February 2022].
Hayasaka, H., Noguchi, I., Putra, E. I., Yulianti, N. & Vadrevu, K. (2014) Peat-Fire-Related Air Pollution in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Environmental Pollution. 195, 257-266. Available from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S0269749114002784 [Accessed: 25 February 2022].
Kashima, S., Yorifuji, T., Tsuda, T., Ibrahim, J. & Doi, H. (2010) Effects of Traffic-Related Outdoor Air Pollution on Respiratory Illness and Mortality in Children, Taking Into Account Indoor air Pollution in Indonesia. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine. 52(3), 340-345. Available from: https://oce-ovid-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/article/00043764-201003000-00015/HTML [Accessed: 25 February 2022].
McCarthy, J. & Zen, Z. (2009) Regulating the Oil Palm Boom: Assessing the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance Approaches to Agro-Industrial Pollution in Indonesia. Law & Policy. 32(1), 153-179. Available from: https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-9930.2009.00312.x [Accessed: 25 February 2022].
Tyllianakis, E. & Ferrini, S. (2021) Personal Attitudes and Beliefs and Willingness to Pay to Reduce Marine Plastic Pollution in Indonesia. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 173, 1-11. Available from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S0025326X21011541?via%3Dihub [Accessed: 25 February 2022].