“CAPTAIN Planet, he’s our hero. Gonna take pollution down to zero”
If you grew up around the same time as I did, you’d be singing these words to the theme tune of Captain Planet and the Planeteers. The cartoon was unique and ahead of its time in that it dealt with issues of pollution and sustainable development, with the aim of educating children on the importance of protecting planet earth.
Almost 30 years later, it is safe to say that Captain Planet’s exhortations for us to look after and keep the planet safe have fallen mostly on deaf ears.
Putting aside the debate on climate change, which has been more emotionally-driven rather than science-based, we now live in a world in which pollution is the largest cause of premature death, accounting for three times more deaths in 2015 than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health estimates that nine million premature deaths are due to pollution.
This is more than 10 times the number of deaths from wars across the globe.
Pollution levels vary depending on geographical location and socioeconomic environment. Fast-growing cities in the emerging economies of Asia and Africa are particularly affected.
One of the more obvious types of pollution involves the air that we breathe. Air pollution was responsible for more than six million deaths worldwide in 2015, which is slightly less than the seven million caused by tobacco (which is arguably a form of air pollution, too). The numbers may be too large to digest, but the impact is all too clear to see.
As a doctor who specialises in treating the lungs, it is common for me to come across patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory ailments, whose quality of life is affected by the quality of ambient air.
The fact that air pollution causes respiratory-related deaths may not be surprising, but it is an under-appreciated fact that it can also cause death from heart disease and stroke.
Without a paradigm shift in our mindset, and without appropriate government policies, it is likely that these numbers will only increase. Although it may seem nigh impossible to reverse current trends, we only need to look east to observe the effect of positive policies in combating pollution.
It is ironic that China, a country previously seen as an example of unsustainable economic development, is now leading the world towards a more sustainable economy that is friendlier to the planet.
Realising that almost a fifth of deaths in the country are due to pollution, the government has embarked on a self-proclaimed war on pollution. The approach is holistic, from an energy policy that seeks to diminish the use of coal in favour of greener alternatives, to urban planning that is more pedestrian-friendly.
The country’s “Designated Economic Development Areas” are focused on delivering sustainable growth. Zhenjiang is an example of a city that has been pioneering efforts to divorce economic growth from increased carbon emissions.
The city started by tracking the carbon emission of companies, sectors and districts. Once sufficient data were available, appropriate measures were taken, such as shutting down inefficient plants. With new developments, data on profit, tax and job creation have been combined with emission figures, allowing continuous feedback in policymaking.
The other area that China is making progress in leaps and bounds is electric vehicles (EVs). It has been estimated that there will be 100 million EVs worldwide by 2035, especially with initiatives from countries like China, France and the United Kingdom in limiting the number of internal combustion engines on the road.
Consultancy firm McKinsey recently reported that China provides monetary subsidies that amount to approximately 23 per cent of the total EV price. It also noted that China will gradually shift from direct subsidies to non-monetary incentives by 2021.
A unique combination of centrally-driven tax exemptions, discounts for car purchases and government mandates with the freedom for companies and researchers to innovate with a free-market space has driven both supply and demand.
It is worth noting that the current best-selling EVs in China is by Geely, the company that recently took up a significant stake in Proton.
Protecting the environment and reversing the anthropomorphic-derived pollution on earth are slow, but important steps that we need to take to ensure that our economic growth is sustainable and will not come to a crashing halt.
Contrary to President Donald Trump’s assertion that environmental-friendly policies are a zero-sum game, China’s Environmental Protection Minister Li Ganjie pointed out that a strengthened environmental protection system would eventually benefit both the country’s and the world’s economic development.
The Lancet Commission’s report concludes that pollution “endangers the stability of the earth’s support systems, and threatens the continuing survival of human societies”.
It is not a hyperbole to say that we, as a nation, both the rakyat and the government, will need to start pushing forth initiatives that will not only improve our lives and decrease the number of unnecessary deaths, but will ensure that our children will grow up in a recognisably green environment.
As Captain Planet was wont to say, “The power is yours!”.
The writer is a respiratory physician at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur and the co-founder of Asthma Malaysia