April 2022 – Sullied South

✿ Goodbye ✧˖*°࿐

Hi everyone! Thank you for tagging along and reading up on what I’ve learnt throughout the past few weeks! Oftentimes, we tend to push aside the struggles faced by marginalized people because we do not see how they suffer, and we do not have direct contact with them. Our indifference to pollution might also be caused by our country’s good governance. We forget about the problems faced by other people because we live a satisfactory society, and always compare ourselves with people who are doing better than us, than comparing ourselves with people doing worse than us.

Due to time constraints, I was only able to cover these unique countries on my blog. If any of you decide to start a blog, do consider researching and writing on other countries in the Global South! Raising awareness first starts with effective communication, and to communicate effectively, we can use blogs! If you do take up the challenge, do update me. You can reach me on my LinkedIn! Let’s stay in touch. Until then, I hope I have managed to spark your interest in learning beyond books, and to learn through lived experiences.

Thanks for tuning in. See you around! ✿

✿ The Future

Hi everyone! This will be my final post of the week, and the penultimate post of the semester! We have discussed a lot of things through my research on 11 different countries in the Global South. One thing I find in common between these countries is the severity of pollution, and the lack of motivation to fight pollution. I cannot recall the number of times I saw statements that talked about the dangers of high levels of PM2.5 in the atmosphere; they caused heart and lung diseases, various cancers, diabetes, thyroid problems, devastating effects on children, and so on. Yet, we see that even though these countries try to tackle the problem, there is rarely any improvement in the environment. The only remarkable change that occurred was during the lockdown season when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Even though the situation seems unpromising, I believe there is a way forward.

I echo the suggestions made by the World Bank, a source I covered in my blog post on Bangladesh. The only way we can help countries in the Global South is by pressurizing their nation leaders to enhance environmental institutions and their policies, to strengthen their levels of enforcement and accountability, and to promote resource-efficient and cleaner production of materials. By forcing leaders to be more transparent and engage better with their citizens in decision-making processes, we can even leverage on market-based instruments to unlock opportunities for green financing. If these leaders came they do not have the financial resources to do so, we should encourage our nation leaders from the Global North to help. The environment is shared by all of us, and if we do not help these countries, we will eventually suffer the consequences brought about by environmental pollution, which does not restrict or limit itself between territorial boundaries on the world map.

Of course, all of this is easier said than done. What do you think about the situation? Do you have any suggestions for these countries?

Up next, my actual final post. See you in the next one! ✿

References

Salim, N. (2021) Indonesian President Guilty of Environmental Negligence in Lawsuit over Jakarta’s Chronic Air Pollution. 17 September. ABC News. Available from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-17/air-pollution-in-indonesia-court-case-jakarta/100233996 [Accessed: 21 February 2022].

World Bank (2018) Clean and Resilient Growth in Bangladesh. 16 September. Available from: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/09/16/clean-and-resilient-growth-in-bangladesh [Accessed: 24 January 2022].

✿ What Have We Learnt?

Hi everyone! This will be my final week of publishing blog posts, before the blog gets accessed by Prof Taylor and Dr Chen. As such, I would like of my first post of the week by listing out several things I discovered and learnt through my research, and the module.

I always began each week’s series of posts by looking for data on IQAir. Some countries have data on their air quality, whereas others do not. Even if countries had monitoring stations to report to IQAir, some of these real-time AQI indices do not reflect the severe pollution experienced by citizens throughout the years.

When researching on Mongolia, I discovered an article that neatly summarizes why studying pollution in the Global South is extremely important. I echo the sentiments by Jun, in the world, the negative impacts of air pollution fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable people from poor countries. As such, it is important for all sectors from affected and non-affected countries to work in tandem to analyze the root problems of pollution, and design policies that allow each sector to use its expertise and resources to tackle the issue from a multi-dimensional perspective.

Another article also discusses the potential for cooperation. Irfan questioned when and how the responsibility to fight pollution will be evenly distributed in the future. As of now, countries that do not have to struggle with pollution are not assisting other countries who are fighting for their lives. But should non-polluted countries help? What will they get in return? Then again, did these countries not pollute in the past as well? Are the damaging environmental impacts caused by their high levels of development in the past forgotten, simply because they have the technologies and capacity today to develop further?

At the same time, should we argue with leaders of the Global South who defend their pollution levels by claiming that it is imperative in order for them to catch up with the Global North? A report by Greenwood-Nguyen & Roth explains why some forms of pollution are not the fault of the Global South. They posit that pollution is not produced by a group of individuals, but rather, produced by socioeconomic systems that contribute to the making of waste and encourages wasting. They focus more on the plastic pollution in oceans, and how many news headlines tend to sensationalize who to blame. These questions listed above are widely discussed in academia. This article by Bello sums up the environmental movement against pollution and other harmful activities in the Global South.

I encourage you to watch this video from the World Health Organization, because it explains to you the recent initiative set up less than a year ago.

You can read this link which summarizes the video pretty succinctly. You can also refer to this article to see another smaller-scale example of communities trying to fight pollution on their own. If you click on the hyperlink, you will be directed to a brief summary of pollution done by Harting, and her insights on the Clean Air Toolbox, which is a project that aims to help many poor countries grapple with pollution.

Up next, what lies ahead. See you in the next one! ✿

References

Bello, W. (2007) The Environmental Movement in the Global South. 12 October. TNI. Available from: https://www.tni.org/en/article/the-environmental-movement-in-the-global-south [Accessed: 4 April 2022].

Greenwood-Nguyen, A. & Roth, R. J. (2019) Plastic in the Oceans is not the Fault of the Global South. 31 January. The Conversation. Available from: https://theconversation.com/plastic-in-the-oceans-is-not-the-fault-of-the-global-south-110247 [Accessed: 4 April 2022].

Harting, C. (2021) Air Pollution is Harming People in the Global South at an Alarming Rate. A Climate School Project Wants to Help. 23 July. Columbia Climate School Climate, Earth, and Society. Available from: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2021/07/23/air-pollution-global-south/#:~:text=Menu-,Air%20Pollution%20Is%20Harming%20People%20in,South%20at%20an%20Alarming%20Rate.&text=According%20to%20a%202019%20UNICEF,deaths%20in%20New%20Delhi%20alone. [Accessed: 4 April 2022].

Irfan, S. (2021) The Global North’s Environmental Impact on the Global South. 20 April. Basel Action Network. Available from: https://www.ban.org/news/2021/4/20/the-global-norths-environmental-impact-on-the-global-south [Accessed: 4 April 2022].

Jun, S. (n. d.) Is the Raw Coal Ban a Silver Bullet to Solving Air Pollution in Mongolia?: A Study of the Mongolian Government’s Air Pollution Reduction Policies and Recommendations in the Context of COVID-19. Journal of Public & International Affairs. Available from: https://jpia.princeton.edu/news/raw-coal-ban-silver-bullet-solving-air-pollution-mongolia-study-mongolian-governments-air [Accessed: 7 March 2022].

WHO (2021) Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, alongside climate change. 22 September. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/22-09-2021-new-who-global-air-quality-guidelines-aim-to-save-millions-of-lives-from-air-pollution. [Accessed: 4 April 2022].

World Health Organization (WHO) (2021) LIVE: Launch of the WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines with Dr Tedros. 22 September. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiO5V4ZZRwI [Accessed: 4 April 2022].

✿ Vietnam (II)

Hi everyone! In today’s second post of the week, I will be writing my last case-study post. We are coming to the end of the semester and it’s a pity that I have to focus on my other modules and assignments. It has been a joy searching up on these countries on the Global South and their journey with pollution. I hope to make this last write-up as meaningful as I can – I found 7 articles!

I want to start off my reviewing the paper by Babut et al. (2019) that looks at contaminants in bed sediments. It remined me of the second seminar conducted by Dr. Chen; through studying the concentration of pollutants in soil, we can predict how and what other cascading effects are brought into other realms such as the atmosphere and water sources. Babut et al. studied the Saigon River bed to investigate the presence of organic contaminants in Ho Chi Minh City, a city in Vietnam which is one of the most polluted in Southeast Asia, as mentioned in my previous post. They distinguished certain organic chemicals in the river bed – PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), PFAs (perfluoroalkyl substances) and insecticides. They found that PAHs in Vietnam were of similar concentration levels as other cities in Southeast Asia, and were influenced by the Saigon River’s tides, water management and monsoon control systems.

Then I found a paper by Nguyen et al. (2020) that examines the Saigon River as well, but focuses on heavy metals in the sediment of the river. They provided a unique study because they integrated questions on seasonal and spatial variations. Through their study, they found that during the rainy season, there was a higher concentration of 11 heavy metals than during the dry season. They also found that river catchments and low-lying areas were the sources of these heavy metals. These heavy metals were mainly Mn, Al, Fe, Zn, Sr, In, B, Ni, Co, Pb, and Cd.

I also found papers on air pollution. Le et al. (2014) provided a descriptive paper to prove the correlation between air pollution and vegetation fires. They showed that during March, the forest fire hotspots in the Northwest and Central Highlands emit vast amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere. To understand more about the socio-economic conditions in Vietnam, I referred to a short paper done by London (2019). You could also refer to the paper if you are interested in learning about the country’s general growth and progress. What I found more interesting was Kim et al.’s (2019) paper on studying more humane issues of pollution in Vietnam. Kim et al. examined the factors that influenced public awareness regarding pollution in Vietnam. Even though Vietnamese people are aware of the consequences of pollution, and are dissatisfied with their governments, they do not provoke opposition to the maintenance of coal-fired power generators in the country. As such, Kim et al. wanted to find out if education levels played a role in changing the mindsets and behaviours of Vietnamese people. Their results showed that Vietnamese people will only call out their leaders for effective policy measures to control pollution only if they are educated.

I started to include research on pollution and COVID-19 during the week I searched on Pakistan. As such, I also decided to integrate such a paper in this blog post. The paper by Ngo et al. (2021) examines the reduction in air pollution levels during the COVID-19 lockdown, or period of social isolation in Vietnam. They found that NO2 concentration levels in the atmosphere reduced significantly when countries worldwide implemented lockdowns, which is unsurprising, given the slowing down of all socio-economic activities.

Finally, the paper by Hoang et al. (2019) suggest various strategies Vietnam, and other developing countries to adopt to control environmental pollution. They focus more on sustainable development, so I suggest that you take a look at it, to see how tackling environmental pollution is crucial to protect the environment for our current and future generations. This would be a good way to end this blog post. I hope you enjoyed this lengthy piece today!

Up next, some ways to move forward. See you in the next one! ✿

References

Babut, M., Mourier, B., Desmet, M., Simonnet-Laprade, C., Labadie, P., Budzinski, H., Alencastro, L. F. D., Tu, T. A., Strady, E. & Gratiot, N. (2019) Where has the Pollution Gone? A Survey of Organic Contaminants in Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon River (Vietnam) Bed Sediments. Chemosphere. 217, 261-269. Available from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S0045653518321052?via%3Dihub [Accessed: 1 April 2022].

Hoang, T. C., Black, M. C., Knuteson, S. L. & Roberts, A. P. (2019) Environmental Pollution, Management, and Sustainable Development: Strategies for Vietnam and other Developing Countries. Environmental Management. 63, 433-436. Available from: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00267-019-01144-z.pdf [Accessed: 1 April 2022].

Kim, S. E., Harish, S. P., Kennedy, R., Jin, X. & Urpelainen, J. (2019) Enviromental Degradation and Public Opinion: The Case of Air Pollution in Vietnam. The Journal of Environment & Development. 29(2), 196-222. Available from: https://journals-sagepub-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/doi/full/10.1177/1070496519888252?utm_source=summon&utm_medium=discovery-provider [Accessed: 1 April 2022].

Le, T. H., Nguyen, T. N. T., Lasko, K., Ilavajhala, S., Vadrevu, K. P. & Justice, C. (2014) Vegetation Fires and Air Pollution in Vietnam. Environmental Pollution. 195, 267-275. Available from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S0269749114003157 [Accessed: 1 April 2022].

London, J. (2020) Vietnam in 2019: The Politics of Growth, Progress, and Pollution. Asian Survey. 60(1), 93-99. Available from: https://online-ucpress-edu.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/as/article/60/1/93/109896/Vietnam-in-2019The-Politics-of-Growth-Progress-and [Accessed: 1 April 2022].

Ngo, T. X., Do, N. T. N., Phan, H. D. T., Tran, V. T., Mac, T. T. M., Le, A. H., Do, N. V., Bui, H. Q. & Nguyen, T. T. N. (2020) Air Pollution in Vietnam during the COVID-19 Social Isolation, Evidence of Reduction in Human Activities. International Journal of Remote Sensing. 42(16), 6126-6152. Available from: https://www-tandfonline-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/doi/full/10.1080/01431161.2021.1934911 [Accessed: 1 April 2022].

Nguyen, B. T., Do, D. D., Nguyen, T. X., Nguyen, V. N., Nguyen, D. T. O., Nguyen, M. H., Truong, H. T. T., Dong, H. P., Le, A. H. & Bach, Q. V. (2020) Seasonal, Spatial Variation, and Pollution Sources of Heavy Metals in the Sediment of the Saigon River, Vietnam. Environmental Pollution. 256, 1-12. Available from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S0269749119338084?via%3Dihub [Accessed: 1 April 2022].