This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 25, 2020 - May 31, 2020

MOST countries in Southeast Asia saw a significant improvement in air quality as a result of the varying levels of “lockdowns” imposed during the Covid-19@ outbreak.

What is interesting, though, is that Malaysia has had the most drastic and sustained changes. Kuala Lumpur experienced a drop of around 60% in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels, while Selangor saw a 40% drop, according to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

CREA examined the N02 levels, a key measure of air pollution, using satellite data. For Malaysia, it compared satellite images captured from March 18 (the beginning of the Movement Control Order, or MCO) to May 5 with that of the same period a year ago (see chart).

It noted that in areas where coal and gas power plants were located, NO2 levels remained relatively unchanged, as operations continued.

“This demonstrates that the dramatic reductions in NO2 are mainly a result of transportation restrictions. Automobile emissions are one of the main causes of air pollution in Malaysia, where car ownership per person is the third-highest in the world. Despite the government’s air-quality control measures, the massive number of vehicles on the road is a huge contributor to dangerous air pollution,” Helsinki-based CREA says in a report released on May 8.

While it is clear that the sharp slowdown in economic and social activities during the MCO has been good for the environment, it has had a negative effect on the economy. It expanded just 0.7% in the first quarter and is expected to contract in the second quarter.

CREA analyst Isabella Suarez believes, however, that better air quality does not have to come at the expense of the economy.

“Better air quality certainly does not need to come at the expense of the economy, as traditional convention would have you think. In fact, it can be quite the opposite, as controlling pollution and investing in better air can help economies become more sustainable and resilient,” the Philippines-based Suarez, who co-wrote the report, tells The Edge in an interview.

“That being said, it is important that government stimulus packages target solutions that stimulate the economy and manage the air pollution problem, rather than worsen it by pushing for industrialisation at the expense of human health and well-being. Here, we see the most gains in the energy sector. Over 80% of Malaysia’s energy production comes from highly polluting coal and gas. The stimulus packages should not be targeting growth vis-à-vis these industries, but instead encourage renewable energy and energy efficiency across the country.”

Controlling emissions

Malaysia has a target to increase its renewable energy generation to 20% by 2025, and most of it would be solar-driven.

“That is a good sector to prop up and a very important goal for the government to pursue more aggressively because it is already commercially viable, cost-competitive and deployable at a large scale. Renewable energy, electrification and efficiency also have gains in transport, buildings and industry, and many opportunities in both markets and business models that could encourage innovation and entrepreneurship,” says Suarez.

According to her, to speed up necessary changes to improve air quality and stimulate the economy, Malaysia also needs to control emissions from transport and industry.

The first practical solution would be for the country to improve public transport and, where possible, electrify it.

“Transportation contributes the most to air pollution in urban areas, as we see in the case of KL’s drastic NO2 reduction during the MCO. As we mentioned in our report, Malaysia has [among] the highest individual vehicle ownership in the world and every car on the road, plus traffic and congestion, contributes to urban emissions. Moving forward, it’s practical, economical and environmentally beneficial to make it more convenient and efficient to choose public transport over driving their own cars,” she says.

The second practical solution would be to regulate emissions from polluting industries such as power and manufacturing.

“Malaysia has good legislation for ambient air quality that is in line with European standards, but it is now a matter of enforcing it and building controls at the source. Industries should track and report their emissions and should be required to install “top of smokestack” and “end of tailpipe” emissions controls that are relatively inexpensive so we can properly track emissions and maintain good air quality levels,” she says.

How the region fared

In Southeast Asia, where seven of the 11 nations are among the top 50 countries with the worst air quality in the world —the worst being Indonesia — the various levels of lockdowns helped bring about cleaner air in some of the busiest and most populous cities, according to CREA.

Apart from KL, Manila and Bangkok also saw a reduction in toxic NO2 levels — by 45% and 40% respectively — as a result of a drop in transportation and manufacturing activities. Singapore’s dropped about 30%. (The data was derived by comparing satellite images of each country’s specific lockdown start date with that of the year-ago period).

“Such improvements in air quality are anomalies and, if left unchecked following the lockdowns, air pollution will return swiftly and the threats to human health and well-being linked to it will persist,” CREA says in its report. Air pollution is seen as the biggest environmental risk to human health, contributing to chronic respiratory and cardiological disease and illness.

“As lockdowns begin to ease in the region and recovery is top of mind, government stimulus packages must proactively invest in green,” CREA adds.

While Jakarta saw a roughly 40% drop in NO2 in comparison to 2019 levels, the levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) remained consistent with those of previous years. This was also the case in Vietnam, where, despite a decrease in NO2, cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City saw an increase in PM2.5, as emissions from coal power and industry in areas surrounding the cities increased.

CREA’s analysis consistently showed that cities near coal-fired power stations saw a smaller reduction in air pollution.

In Jakarta, Hanoi and Singapore, there was little change in PM2.5, as much of the pollution comes from power plants, industrial, residential and other sources in surrounding areas, it says.

In countries such as Laos and Cambodia, where lockdowns may have been less stringent as Covid-19 cases remain low, air pollution concentrations were within the range of previous years.

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