Picture twilight in Los Angeles: the city's labyrinth of eight-lane freeways is jammed with millions of cars, engines burping pollutants into the air. This is reality, where the people in these cars are enjoying the mesmerizing sunsets while drowning in a sea of smog. I live in the Philippines, and the enchanting pink sunset I witnessed outside of my balcony reminded me of this reality. Air pollution enhances the beauty of a sunset. Be it the azure of high noon or the orange glow of dusk, the colors of the sky result from sunlight interacting with molecules in the air, primarily nitrogen and oxygen, which cause it to be deflected in all directions (a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering). Equating the relationship, the blood red sunset intrigued me to write about the prominent air pollution in the Philippines.

Reported by the World Health Organization 2018 (WHO), the Philippines is ranked third in the world to have the highest death toll due to air pollution (after China and Mongolia). This poses as an environmental crisis, revolving around the health of the residing citizens, as one in four deaths are attributed to air pollution. When the size of particulate matter in the air is 2.5 micrometers or below, it can easily penetrate into any exposed person’s respiratory and cardiovascular system, leading to deaths through major health problems such as lung cancer, pulmonary disease, stroke, and acute respiratory infections such as pneumonia. The main source of this issue is the excessive use of private transit systems. In the national capital region, there are more than two million registered vehicles. However, the other preexisting and unregistered transportation will cumulatively result in more traffic, and thus vehicle emissions. According to UNICEF’s Air Pollution Report, outdoor air pollution is most common in low-income urban areas, and is caused by a surfeit of vehicle emissions, excessive use of fossil fuels, dust, and burning waste.

The government of the Philippines, however, has already been regulating the system and implementing preventive measures. It has been two decades since The Clean Air Act of 1999 has been initiated, yet enforcement seems to be an issue as the quality of the air in the Philippines continues to deteriorate. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is cooperating with the Department of Health and WHO to decrease the potential environmental health risk of air pollution by reviewing the air quality index and reinforcing the health impact assessment for exposed projects and activities that may lead to pollution. 

Fiegl, Amanda. “Red Sky at Night: The Science of Sunsets.” National Geographic, 29 Oct. 2013 Jimeno, Karen V. “Are Filipinos Experiencing 'Wildfire' Pollution Every Day?” Philstar.com, The Philippine Star, 27 Nov. 2018, Perez, Dudez. “Philippines Ranks Third in Air Pollution Deaths. Here's What Needs to Be Done...” Eco Warrior Princess, 5 Mar. 2020 Philippine Information Agency, Bignewsnetwork. “Air Pollution Has Become Serious Threat in Philippines.” Big News Network