East Asia's Shipping Emissions Kill Tens of Thousands People Every Year

A sharp rise in shipping emissions in east Asia is killing tens of thousands of people in the region every year and adding to global warming.

East Asia - the manufacturing and export hub - has the world's fastest-growing rate of particle and carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution from shipping emissions. A sharp rise in shipping emissions in east Asia is killing tens of thousands of people in the region every year and adding to global warming, suggested a study.

This is likely to grow as China pursues a policy of reviving the ancient Silk Road trade with Europe - yet very little is known about the damage done by east Asia's shipping emissions.

Air Pollution Reducing Life Expectancy by Two Years In China
Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Unchecked growth of industries and factories over the past two decades has led to massive pollution in China.

‘A sharp rise in shipping emissions in east Asia is killing tens of thousands of people in the region every year and adding to global warming.’

A team of Chinese and American scientists used records of more than 18,000 vessels observed in the region in 2013 to calculate emissions and their likely effect. They found that ship traffic in east Asia more than doubled since 2005. Resulting emissions accounted for 16% of global shipping CO2 in 2013 - up from about 4-7% from 2002 to 2005.

The region, which holds eight of the world's top ten container ports, now accounts for more than a sixth of global shipping activity and emissions, which are not controlled, the team reported in the journal Nature Climate Change.

"Increased emissions lead to large adverse health impacts with 14,500-37,500 premature deaths per year," they wrote.

Delhi Metropolitan Witnesses 80 Deaths a Day Due To Air Pollution: Environment Minister
Deaths are mainly because of PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, which can pass into the lungs and from there to other organs of the body.

The estimation was based on the known, relative contribution of air pollution to total deaths in a given population.

The team calculated that particle pollution from shipping fumes was responsible for about 18,000 deaths in mainland China, 3,600 in Japan, 1,100 in Taiwan, Hongkong and Macau, 800 in South Korea and 600 in Vietnam.

Delhi Air Pollution Levels Reach to "Hazardous" Category of World Air Quality Index
The national capital recorded high amounts of suspended particulate matter where the average levels of PM 2.5 was 157 and PM 10 was 264.

"This was an important though small fraction of the more than one million total premature deaths attributable to ambient air pollution in the same region," said the study.

Previous research had shown that about 70% of emissions from international shipping occur within 400 kilometers (216 nautical miles) of the coast.

Control Air Pollution in Patna: Environment Body to Government
People in Patna are forced to inhale air containing Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) much above the permissible limit, reported an environment body.

"As a large fraction of vessels are registered elsewhere, joint efforts are necessary to reduce emissions and mitigate the climate and health impacts of shipping in the region," the researchers pointed out.

According to the International Maritime Organization, shipping contributed about 2.8% of global manmade greenhouse gas emissions between 2007 and 2012.

Source-AFP