by U.G.A. Darshika Sewwandi
Published on Ceylon Today on 11th August 2023
Environmental security as a component of national security
National security is the fundamental aspect of protecting the nation's goals, sovereignty, and well-being from both internal and external threats hence it requires safeguarding the citizens, institutions, territory, and infrastructures as well as protecting the country from numerous threats(Balzacq 2003). Environmental security is part of national security and considers a soft notion of it. The concept of environmental security involves maintaining a sustainable and stable connection between the environment and human beings. It recognizes the significance of environmental conditions, the nation’s well-being, security, and sustainability and addresses a wide range of issues, such as the availability and accessibility of natural resources, the impacts of environmental pollution on human health, the shortages of resources or competition-related conflicts, and international cooperation. Understanding the link between the environment and national security, the government needs to understand how important it is to address environmental issues as a key element of its security plans.
Environmental security seeks to maintain the long-term well-being and resilience of human societies by conserving the environment, promoting sustainable development, and addressing the potential risks and challenges arising from environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change. At the current context, there are environmental issues that have developed, threatening environmental security and, ultimately, affect to national security. Air pollution is one of the issues threatening environmental security.
Air pollution and its impacts on the environment
According to the definition of the World Health Organization(WHO), air pollution is the “contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Air pollution is a major, preventable, and manageable threat to people's health, well-being, and the fulfillment of sustainable development. In some cases, the effects of air pollution on environmental security can be severe”. Air pollution impacts on loss of biodiversity, climate change, acid rain, contamination of water and soil, health impacts and economy. The first one is the loss of Biodiversity. Air pollution can harm plant and animal species, resulting in a reduction in biodiversity. Certain pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, can harm flora and alter ecosystems, and can lead to a reduction in food sources and habitats for many organisms, resulting in ecosystem imbalances and the extinction of species. In addition to that, climate Change can happen as a result of air pollution. The greenhouse effect and rising temperatures are accelerated by this and pollutants such as carbon dioxide and methane are trapped heat in the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to gradually increase. As a result, shifting weather patterns, sea levels rising, and glaciers and polar ice caps melting, endangering ecosystems and coastal areas can happen.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from industrial activities, as well as vehicle emissions, interact with moisture in the atmosphere in order to generate acid rain. Acid rain can negatively impact harm forests, rivers, and other aquatic habitats, causing both animals and plants to die and imbalanced the ecosystem's equilibrium as well. Pollutants in the air can settle on the earth's surface and pollute water bodies and soil. Pollutants in water bodies may negatively impact aquatic organisms and alter the ecological balance while Pollutants in the soil can harm agricultural development, taint groundwater, and harm human health through food consumption.
Furthermore, human health is negatively impacted by air pollution. PM2.5 and other pollutants may enter to the respiratory system and cause respiratory disorders such as asthma and bronchitis. Long-term exposure to pollutants in the air has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and various respiratory diseases. Ultimately, Air pollution may result in serious economic consequences as it damages agriculture, ecosystems, and human health and may end up resulting in higher healthcare costs, decreased agricultural output, lost tourism revenue, and infrastructure damage. These economic costs have the potential to slow down progress and accelerate social inequities.
Air pollution in Sri Lankan context
Air pollution is a crucial environmental issue in Sri Lanka, especially around urban and industrial areas. Vehicle emissions, industrial activity, and the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation are the primary sources of air pollution in the country. Several Sri Lankan cities, such as Colombo, have experienced high levels of air pollution, especially in regard to particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations. These contaminants have the potential to harm both human health and the environment.
Protecting air as a human right
Every person on the earth has the right to live in a clean, healthy environment, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). As a result, the government should be more concerned about this matter, as it is a human right. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) mandates members to protect the clean air component as a right to a healthy environment through seven key steps, which include monitoring Air Quality(AQ) and its effect on human health, evaluating sources of air pollution, ensuring information accessible to everyone, establishing AQ legislation and regulations and developing AQ action plans at the local and national level.
Interaction of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with air pollution
Air pollution is linked to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the reduction of air pollution is important to achieving environmental security. SDGs connected with air pollution are goal number 03,07,11,13, and 15. Goal 03 refers to good health and well-being hence air pollution impacts human health. Goal 07 refers to affordable and clean energy hence the usage of fossil fuels for energy generation emits air pollutants into the atmosphere. Moving to clean and renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and hydropower to reduce pollution while also supporting sustainable development by delivering inexpensive and clean energy to all. Air pollution and climate change are interconnected with each other because many air pollutants act as greenhouse gases. Therefore, it is important to mitigate climate change and meet Goal 13 targets by lowering air pollution, particularly both methane and carbon dioxide emissions. Goal 15 refers to Life on land as air pollution can harm terrestrial ecosystems, plants, and wildlife. Reducing air pollution helps conserve biodiversity and ecosystems, and promotes sustainable land use, all of which contribute to the goals of Goal 15.
Measures taken to reduce air pollution by the Sri Lankan government
There are some actions taken by the Sri Lankan government to reduce air pollution. The basic legislation for air quality management is the National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980 and its amendments, as well as the establishment of the Central Environmental Authority to implement the laws of the NEA related to ambient air quality Regulations, air Emission, fuel, and vehicle importation standards, and national stationary sources emission Standards.
The establishment of the Air Resource Management Centre which has been essential in strengthening stakeholder participation in Air Quality Management throughout the country is another significant action taken by the government of Sri Lanka which functions by the Ministry of Environment's Air Resource Management & National Ozone Unit. This unit is now in charge of coordinating AQM activities. National Environmental Action Plan 2022-2030 Towards Sustainable Development(NEAP) is another strategic plan and the first theme in this section is air quality control by providing ten ways for managing air pollution. According to NEAP, the Sri Lanka Vehicle Emission Testing Programme (SLVET) is implementing since 2008 and it has progressive improvements in urban air quality as shown by a reduction in PM10 concentrations from >70 g/m3 in 2008 to 60 g/m3 in 2015.
Loopholes and gaps regarding mitigating the air pollution
There are some loopholes and gaps in the process of mitigating air pollution in Sri Lanka. Inadequate monitoring and data is a main issue because, for effective policies and targeted actions, accurate and updated monitoring data is required. There may be a lack of monitoring units or gaps in data collection and due to that difficult to estimate the magnitude of the problem and find effective solutions. In addition to that, there is no distinct policy in Sri Lanka for clean air or AQM, although the topic is covered in the National Environment Policy and Strategies published in 2003.
Weak Enforcement of Regulations is another gap in this process hence the compliance and enforcement methods are insufficient with the current legislation and emission standards. As a result, there may be more pollution due to polluting industries or vehicles being able to operate without the necessary controls.
Burning biomass for agricultural, heating, and cooking needs can emit a lot of pollutants into the air. In Sri Lanka, agricultural practices including burning rice fields and crop residues can accelerate air pollution, especially during the specific time period of the year. Manufacturing, energy production, and waste management are a few examples of industrial operations that can be major causes of air pollution. Higher pollution levels may result from ineffective pollution control technology installation, lack of regulatory supervision, and the presence of unofficial or uncontrolled industries. Lack of public awareness and participation is another loophole and most of people are overusing the resources without thinking about the environmental issues as they unaware about these problems.
The way forward
To address air pollution, considerable efforts are required, such as switching to cleaner energy sources, implementing solid emission regulations, supporting sustainable transportation, and deploying pollution control technologies, increasing public awareness, and encouraging cooperation between the public sector, civil society, and the private sector. Government can arrange those efforts as short-term and long term actions accordingly. Then we can protect the environment, and human health, and improve environmental security by reducing air pollution.
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* Ms. U.G.A. Darshika Sewwandi is an Intern(Research) at the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), the premier think tank on National Security established and functioning under the Ministry of Defence. The opinion expressed is her own and not necessarily reflective of the institute or the Ministry of Defence.