Dirty air greets the New Year once more! Now that all COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, firecrackers and fireworks are back – and so with polluted air. As of 12 a.m. of January 1, 2023, the monitoring station at the De La Salle University in Manila recorded a PM2.5 level of 448 micrograms per normal cubic meter (ug/Ncm), while pollution levels in the cities of Paranaque, Taguig, Valenzuela and Muntinlupa were 433, 324, 285 and 175 ug/Ncm, respectively. As of 2 a.m. of the same day, the air quality monitoring stations in Pasig City and the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City recorded PM2.5 levels of 397 and 369 ug/Ncm, respectively.
It will be recalled that on Jan 1, 2019, rains dampened the New Year’s Eve celebration resulting in less pollution. The rains washed away the tiny particles emitted by pyrotechnics. There was a reduction in fireworks and outdoor activities too. According to the Environmental Pollution Studies Laboratory of the University of the Philippines, air pollution levels in Metro Manila during on that New Year’s Eve was still poor but was at an all-time low.
In New Year 2020, air pollution was up again. But when COVID-19 restrictions were put up in March, air pollution drop significantly not just in the Philippines but all over the world due to reduced human activities. According to the measurements done in the monitoring stations of the Environmental Management Bureau, air pollution significantly decreased in Metro Manila during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
With COVID-19 restrictions still implemented towards the end of 2020, Department of Environment and Natural Resources recorded a substantial reduction in air pollution levels in the first day of 2021 in Metro Manila by as much as 59 percent. This was attributed to strict measures implemented by Metro Manila Mayors under Metro Manila Development Authority Resolution No. 20-17 "Prohibiting Individual and Household Use of Firecrackers and Other Pyrotechnic Devices During General Community Quarantine".
While the usual New Year activities are back again, I noticed that there are less fireworks compared to pre-pandemic years. My colleagues in the Mabalacat City Council have the same observation. Inflation has probably affected the sale of pyrotechnic devices. But even with the reduction in usage, air pollution still reached unhealthy levels as seen from the readings of air monitoring stations in Metro Manila.
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Based on some news articles I’ve read, the major environmental concern for this year will still be Climate Change. According to a study by the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC), Climate change will accelerate humanitarian crises around the world in 2023, adding to the issues created by armed conflict and economic downturns.
In the Philippines, we look forward to the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022, or Republic Act No. 11898, which requires large companies with total assets over P1 billion to recover the plastic packaging waste they produce. At the end of this year, they should have recovered at least 20% of their waste.