The fight against PM2.5 must not be seasonal but year-round [Thai Enquirer — Dec 24, 2020]
By: Pornphrom Vikitsreth
Tags: Pollution, Environment, Clean Air, Bangkok, Policy

By Pornphrom Vikitsreth

It is not surprising that December has been a month that many have longed for. The festivities and bright colourful lights, the gathering of family and friends was something rather absent in the epidemic-struck 2020.

In addition to short glimpses of decent weather, Christmas-themed events, and the joyous build-up to the New Year; these last few years saw Bangkok welcoming two more seasonal traditions: 1) the occurrence of PM 2.5 and 2) the government actions on the matter.

The new normal

An important question to ask is why the two new ‘traditions’ are specific only to the winter months but not the rest of the year.

The answer is quite obvious. While the culprits of PM 2.5 — ranging from diesel combustion, industrial pollution, and open-air burning — are of course, abusive and detrimental all year round, the reason why it appears solely during these months is a matter of meteorology.

Dubbed as “radiative inversion”, the phenomenon occurs when a ridge from the high-pressure system dominating over China extends to Thailand during winter. The ridge brings cooler air and pollutants, which after a few days stabilizes and creates stagnant air conditions, limited vertical motion, and calm winds. The stillness accounts for the visual phenomena of PM2.5.

The second tradition is a more curious subject. While it doesn’t take an environmental guru to comprehend that our exorbitant polluting habits transpire throughout the year, not merely in winter months, it is astonishing to see that government actions are only being implemented during this period.

While the occurance of PM2.5 has its scientific reasons for happening when it does, this does not apply to the second.

Are there any reasons to loiter around in futility until we are besieged by the dark, grey sky before we decide to wake up and act? Surely not.

Or do policymakers need to wait until the issue reignites as a hot debate topic before actions can take place? Admittedly, only in these months can one could spectate the avalanche of news coverage and a hurried escalation of public anxiety on the issue. But make no mistake, these issues are year-round.

It is fair to assume that environmental issues are not high on most people’s priority as they dedicate their core focus towards economic well-being and other sources of personal happiness.

Attention is paid only when it poses an apparent danger to their quality of life.

But while the sudden skyrocketing of public attention is comprehensible, what is not is the corresponding seasonal display of government actions set to combat this crisis.

And the icing on this shambolic cake is for the few years since the crisis materialized, the eventual departure of PM2.5 is consistently accompanied by the swift exodus of government actions as well.

Seasonal improvisation

Government action can therefore be considered just “seasonal improvisation”, only looking to fix the problem after disaster has already struck, and without abandoning this myopic approach, we will always be cemented in the vicious cycle of this smoggy PM-filled winter months.

The problem is far too urgent for today’s temporary and seasonal approach.

Let us look at some of the past and current measures. The 2019 winter PM 2.5 cycle saw government regulations being rolled out such as expanding the “Truck-Free” zone from the Ratchadapisek ring road to the outer Kanchanapisek ring road, increasing the number of vehicle checkpoints up to 50, and prohibiting trucks from entering central Bangkok on odd-number days. While this may seem like useful measures, it comically lasted only from January to February — an elongated act covering an entire two months! When March arrived and PM 2.5 was no longer trendy, the measures vanished.

The same old trick is now replayed in this cycle. Trucks, the go-to culprits, are now banned from entering again, and there is also a sudden recollection of the need to inspect emission levels for public bus exhausts and factories.

Should the procedures remain temporary, we can expect to see these trucks return to their business-as-usual ways in two months’ time.

Fighting the tough fight with strong measures

To be fair to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), they seem sincere in their long term plans to tackle the problem. While a lot more can be done, electric feeder shuttle buses and electric passenger boats in the old town canal are adequate starting points.

Nevertheless, the short and medium-term actions need to be reconsidered and quickly. There is a necessity to introduce permanent, rather than temporary, measures.

Instead of the seasonal ban of trucks on odd-number days or other ineffective policies, a permanent Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) should be examined. Already used in many cities worldwide, this is a traffic pollution charge scheme aimed at trucks and heavy-duty vehicles where those that do not conform to various emissions standards would be charged upon entering the specified zones — while those conforming would enter free of charge. (This is different to London’s Congestion Charge as it targets only trucks and heavy duty not standard vehicles).

This permanent, market-driven measure is more lenient than a ban which allows it to last throughout the year. It is a financial mechanism that is likely to incentivize vehicles to adapt to lower their emissions.

Cities with this scheme were able to proudly boast their achievements. Parallel to a noteworthy reduction of PM2.5, Berlin LEZ also reduced its diesel particles by 58% and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 20%. Similarly, London LEZ slashed its black carbon by 40–50% and its feasibility study predicted gains of 5200 years of life, 310,000 fewer cases of respiratory symptoms, and 30,000 fewer cases of respiratory medication.

A permanent measure can also be applied to the building sector as well. In contrast to the popular understanding, the real emissions associated with buildings are not the construction but the operation phase. This is related to power consumption or emissions from vehicles that have direct interaction with the buildings.

More stringent building standards would go a long way. Today’s timing makes it even more critical as the rapid expansion of the city’s public transport system, especially in the Eastern part of town, is vigorously driving up real estate projects. If adequate standards are not in place, these new buildings will further contribute significantly towards air quality degradation.

It is without a doubt that PM 2.5 is now a serious issue and it requires serious measures. The days of “seasonal improvisation” approaches are over. While PM2.5 and the focus of the public may only be visible in winter months, government actions aimed at eradicating this crisis must be present all year round. If not, we may very well be accustomed to a grey Christmas and a smoggy New Years.