BY DARGIE KAHSAY
Air pollution has both social and economic impacts. The world is losing over seven million lives due to air pollution annually, which according to scientists, is preventable. From the seven million worldwide total annual deaths, according to World Health organization’s (WHO) data, over 92 percent of the total death is from the developing countries, though these developing countries are contributing less carbon emission to the air. With regard to Ethiopia, according to Ethiopian Ministry of Health, air pollution is a cause for the death of around 50 thousand citizens annually.
According to data from Ethiopian Environment Protection Authority (EPA), economically, air pollution also consumes around 4.8 percent of the world’s total economy and in Ethiopia, it consumes around 2.8 percent of the total GDP of the country. This was disclosed during the third year celebration of the International Day of Clean Air here in Addis Ababa with the aim of mobilizing stakeholders’ for national air quality. The day was celebrated with a theme “The Air We Share” at international level on 7 September.
During the day, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport and Logistics, Ethiopian Petroleum and Energy Authority and Environment Protection Authority presented the activities of each sector in minimizing air pollution and the share of every sector both in contributing to pollute the air and in minimizing the contribution through different actions.
Speaking at the event, State Minister of Health, Dr. Dereje Duguma noted that the health sector is both a major victim of air pollution as well as a major contributor in environmental pollution. According to Dereje, though air pollution is a threat to the world population in general, the most affected population is the population living in the developing countries. For Dereje, in Ethiopia, air pollution takes over 12.5 percent share of deaths burden in Ethiopia, which makes it second next to malnutrition from the non-communicable death causes.
Indoor air pollution, environmental pollution, emissions from the transport sector, shortage of access to clean energy, unmanageable wastages from industries and factories takes the lion share in polluting the air. Dereje noted that Ministry of Health is working to control the polluting factors from the health institutions and working with other stakeholder sectors to minimize the polluting factors to create clean air.
While State Minister of Transport and Logistics, Borro Hassan on his part stated that though Ethiopia has less than two million vehicles, most them are very old that their emission contributes significantly in air pollution. Considering the health impacts of the sector and to realize Ethiopia’s efforts of building green economy, the sector gives due attention to make the transport sector environment friendly. To promote green transport sector, according to Borro, Ethiopia is taking serious actions.
As to Borro, Ethiopian Railway sector, both the Addis Ababa Light Railway and the Ethio- Djibouti Railway Lines use clean energy sources which is part of Ethiopia’s initiative to create green transportation sector to promote healthy environment. In addition, Ethiopia’s policy does not encourage importation of used vehicles from abroad since they contribute a lot in carbon emission. In addition, introducing and promoting electric vehicles, cycle transportation, initiating vehicle free day in cities and introducing new technologies that contribute for the minimization of carbon emission from vehicles are among the new initiatives by Ministry of Transport and Logistics (MoTL).
According to MoTL, currently five automotive companies have started electric vehicle assembly in Ethiopia and electric charging stations are being opened in cities so as to promote the use of electric vehicles. By supporting the initiative, Ethiopia plans to produce over four thousand electric buses and 148 thousand electric automobiles within 10 years. In addition, the Ministry is working to initiate cycle transportation in 60 cities and towns of the country in addition to expanding transport free day and expanding latest bus transportations.
Similarly, to minimize the emissions from the transport sector, Ethiopian Airlines is taking important actions, according to Borro. He added that Nano technology is introducing to the transport technology which is an important technology to control the emissions from vehicles. In this regard, at pilot level, the Nano technology is already implementing in vehicles in Ethiopia, he added. Hence, Boroo argued that, in the transport sector, Ethiopia is investing its maximum capacity to make the sector environmentally friendly and the efforts will continue to achieve the country’s green economy goal by protecting the healthy environment and healthy citizens.
Getahun Garedew (PhD) is Director General of the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) of Ethiopia. Getahun on his part, during the event, stated that due to the growing of urbanization, expansion of industrialization and different factories, transportation and other polluting factors, the air that was created clean is being polluted mainly due to manmade activities. These new developments are badly affecting the clean air of the atmosphere and in response; the polluted air is becoming a serious threat for the living things within earth.
Because of air pollution, Getahun said, the world is paying over seven million lives every year of which 92 percent are from developing countries. For Getahun, the deaths and diseases caused by air pollution are preventable if all human beings take actions to manage the reasons that pollute the air. “The air is naturally clean and clear, it is only polluted by the day-to-day activities of human beings. The emission to the air from the activities of human beings is polluting the air that is important for all living things and this activity is becoming a cause for the death of millions of lives,” Getahun underlined.
For Getahun, both the pollution and the pollution driven deaths can be controlled if all human beings act responsibly. Using energy from clean sources, using eco-friendly transportation, implementing environmentally friendly economic activities, following proper waste management systems and investing in environmental protection mainly protecting and conserving green areas, biodiversity are among the crucial actions needed from the people of the world. The world is striving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and these goals are mainly interrelated with nature, the Director General stated adding Governments and the private sector investors should give due attention in building green economy and conserving nature in their activities. Ethiopia is on the right truck to build green economy and gives due attention to conserve the natural ecology of the country through both its building environmental friendly economic policy and National Green Legacy initiative, he added.
Girma Gemechu, Environmental Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Director at EPA presented a paper during the event entitled “Environmental Pollution and its Economic Burden.” Girma stated that pollution is costing Ethiopia huge amount of budget especially in the health sector. For Gemecu air pollution, water pollution and solid waste pollution cost Ethiopia over 166 million Dollars annually.
According to Gemechu, the pollution of urban centers in Ethiopia is growing at such a fast rate that Addis Ababa is ranked sixth among African cities in severity of pollution. Though, the number of vehicles in Ethiopia is less than two million the pollution from the sector is high due to the age of the vehicles. In addition, over 70 percent of the vehicles are found in Addis Ababa and the pollution of the capital city is growing from time to time. Hence, he calls all actors to act responsibly in controlling the polluting factors so as to control the social and economic impacts.
Finally, EPA Director General Dr. Getahun extended his warmest message to all Ethiopians to have a Happy New Year celebration. He further calls all citizens and stakeholders in the environment sector to strengthen their efforts of environmental protection, conserving nature and to continue planting and caring trees in the New Year.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2022
