True cost of pollution, a burden too heavy to ignore

Everyone knows that pollution is bad, but just how bad has it gotten now? More than 215,000 people in Bangladesh had died due to pollution-related illnesses in 2019 alone, a report by medical journal The Lancet had shown.

Of that figure, air pollution claimed nearly 175,000 lives, while water pollution, soil contamination, lead pollution, and occupational hazard-related pollution factors, including exposure to harmful chemicals and substances, made up for the rest of the deaths.

But the true cost pollution far exceeds any grim statistics.

An article – based on scientific research by Change Initiative – published by this daily on Sunday, revealed that Bangladesh’s total annual economic loss caused by loss of working days for illnesses due to the environmental pollution is Tk 3.25 lakh crore.

These findings came to light at a time when Bangladesh was observing World Environment Day 2022 with the theme “Only One Earth.”

The environmental NGO conducted the study based on a survey titled “A National Youth Survey 2022 on Environmental Pollution and Promotion” from May 27 to June 2 this year across the country.

As many as 1,023 people, aged between 15 and 35 (the country’s 35 per cent population is in the age bracket), participated in the survey.

According to the study, on an average, every youth or his/her family member remains absent in their own educational institutions and workplaces for 17 days in a year due to sickness caused by different types of pollution. The loss of working days stands at Tk 3.25 lakh crore when converted into money. Moreover, Tk 10,587 is spent as medical cost for every youth or their family member annually on an average, according to the study. Researchers further say the country’s economic loss could be far more if the survey had chosen respondents of all ages, as all the households do not have young people.

Of the respondents, 35.8 per cent mentioned air pollution as the most prevalent while 25.4 per cent pointed out water, 24.5 per cent mentioned noise, 12.2 per cent observed soil and 2.1 per cent pointed out other types of pollution as the most prevalent cause of illnesses.

Some 19.2 per cent, the highest number of youths, identified unfit vehicle is the top air polluter while 17.9 per cent respondents pointed out unpaved broken road, 14.7 per cent mentioned various types of construction work, 13.7 per cent identified waste including household waste and 11.1 per cent observed factory smoke as the top pollutant.

Lack of awareness, law enforcement, legal infrastructure and inactiveness of local government are behind the uncontrolled environment pollution, the study pointed out, adding that the highest number of respondents advocated the promotion of green entrepreneurship.

To mitigate the economic losses caused by pollution, it is crucial to provide collateral and interest free loans towards green entrepreneurs, establish a green tribunal, introduce carbon tax and polluter pay principle, and activation of anti-polythene rules and regulations.

The government must also take exemplary action against polluters and encroachers.

A latest report released by the Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air in 2020, reveals the global costs of air pollution from fossil fuels, both human and economic.

Burning gas, coal and oil results in three times as many deaths as road traffic accidents worldwide, and it is estimated that air pollution has a $2.9 trillion economic cost, equating to 3.3 per cent of the world's GDP.

In 2018, the report estimates that it was linked to 4.5 million deaths with PM2.5 pollution, also responsible for 1.8 billion days of work absence, 4 million new cases of child asthma and 2 million preterm births.

According to the report, disability from chronic diseases cost the world's economy $200 billion in 2018, with sick leave and preterm births costing $100 billion and $90 billion respectively.

Indian cities have scored unfavorably in air pollution indexes for years, and the issue costs the country $150 billion per year on average. In 2018, the cost of dirty air equated to 6.6 per cent of Chinese GDP, 5.4 per cent of India's GDP and 3 per cent of US GDP.