At last, the issue of fine dust is looming high over the political arena. As a matter of fact, the issue is nothing new. “Special Measures against Air Pollution in Metropolitan Areas,” which took effect in 2005, are focusing on fine dust. To reduce its amount, the government also introduced such systems as the Total Air-Pollutant Load Management System and the Tradable Pollution Permits Scheme. In Seoul, all intra-city buses, which number over 7,000, have been replaced by natural gas vehicles and tens of thousands of diesel cars have been installed with pollution reduction devices.

 

Thanks to these efforts, Seoul could see its fine dust, which had been 70 to 80 micrograms per cubic meter in the mid-1990s, cut to 41 micrograms per cubic meter as of 2012. With the quality of air showing signs of improving slightly, some people made a fuss about it as if they could watch the Milky Way while others hastily concluded that they had air as clean as that on Jeju Island.

 

The fine dust level in Seoul is still two to three times higher than that in Tokyo or New York. Despite that, the issue of air pollution hasn`t attracted enough public attention until recently and related budgets often have been cut in half. As if sounding the alarm for such a practice, hazy smog covered the sky of Seoul recently and fine dust was mainly blamed.

 

There was also a report warning that fine dust could harm fetuses and cause premature births. When fine dust enters the blood circulation system, it can increase the risk of getting lung cancer, the report said. Such damage is possible only after an exposure to high concentrations of fine dust for a prolonged period of time. Fortunately, the current level is not that high. At this juncture, the government needs to offer an exact explanation about the situation, based on objective and scientific data.

 

Recently, the presidential office announced a comprehensive set of measures to tackle the problem, which include closer cooperation between Korea, China and Japan, and an early implementation of fine dust warning system. Overall, they are properly targeted. Since the issue of fine dust is nothing new, the solution should also be more fundamental. Taking this momentum, we should first determine exactly how much fine dust blows in from China. Then, no efforts should be spared to support the research on (fine dust`s) long-distance transportation, jointly conducted by Korea, China and Japan, so that the research project could come up with a feasible answer.

 

For China, greatly suffering from an extremely high density of fine dust, we should offer help to control the generation of fine dust by using our experience and advanced technology. There is a saying which goes, “When things are tough, go back to the beginning.” On this occasion, we should ask ourselves some basic questions: Is related research and information enough? Is the system and administration to manage fine dust efficient? Is there any more system or measure needed to solve the problem?

 

The latest smog in Seoul, which occurred ahead of the inauguration of the “National Air Pollution Control Center” and the implementation of the second “Special Measures against Air Pollution in Metropolitan Areas” scheduled for 2015, is a heaven-sent opportunity. A crisis can also be an opportunity. Let`s try to export our advanced technology of reducing the generation of air pollutants to China and thus improve the quality of our air, too. We already possess world-class technology for nonstop monitoring of urban air pollution and a system for measuring and managing the amount of air pollutants from chimneys across the country.

 

China undoubtedly prefers a joint investment and is reluctant about opening up its market, but if we could export more of our eco-technology to China, we would be able to help expedite solution to China`s air pollution and also minimize its impact on Korea. The diesel particulate filter device, power plant desulfurization equipment and the volatile organic compound control system for painting equipment are some of the outstanding eco-technologies that we can export at any time.

 

I wish that we will also be able to develop the energy efficiency technology that can decrease the quantity of air pollutants and green house gases at the same time, the green house gas reduction technology and the technology for energy recovery from waste, creating opportunities to enter China`s gigantic market. By responding to the issue of fine dust aggressively, the government should also enhance the people`s right to a clean and healthy environment and happiness.

[ JoongAng Ilbo, December 17, 2013 ]