[11월호, 2020년] Countermeasures against urbanization: Air pollution in Seoul - 5기 함이수

Countermeasures against urbanization: Air pollution in Seoul

55% of the world population resides in urban areas as of 2018, according to a UN report. The overly populated urban population has given rise to problems that people were not aware of in the past. Especially, the impacts of urbanization on the environment are slow to be seen thus has been accumulating, invisible to the human eye. What has been done to address these problems? Furthermore, how should we approach these issues henceforward?

The urban population is on a steady rise and is anticipated to rise to 68% of the total population. This rapid increase in urban population is foreseen to be concentrated in only a few of the countries rather than being evenly spread out across the globe. Asia is a major urbanized continent with about 50% of urbanization going on and accommodates 54% of the world’s urban population. (UN, 2018) Downscaling urbanization in terms of a country, Korea is a country in Asia that has witnessed a fast-paced growth over the past 50 years. This fast-paced growth entailed a higher density of population from 53 to 96 persons/ha, accelerating up to 270 thousand people per year on average from 1960 to 1990. (Seoulsolution, 2016) This article will focus on the Seoul Metropolitan Area, which accounts for half of the total Korean population as of 2010.

Among many of the issues that arise from overpopulation, it is easy to neglect the impact it has on the environment. However, as the environment can impact people’s life satisfaction, well-being, and health, environmental issues must be put more emphasis on. Tyson (2020) asserts “Air pollution corrupts not only the health of individuals but also the health of society.”

Urban air pollution, a major by-product of industrialization and urbanization since the 1960s is said to be the leading death cause among the environmental cause of mortality. Looking at Table 3, the March 2019 statistics indicate that 70 percent of citizens of South Korea deems air pollution as the most concerning environmental problem. This environmental issue rises due to the urban population increasing using diesel vehicles, manufacturing of the power plants, and burning of waste. As people consume more cars and private vehicles, this is producing unprecedented amounts of smog and harmful greenhouse gases. As U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states diesel emissions lead to health problems such as aggravated hearing, lung issues, and respiratory diseases, these issues are more critical to the urban population.

<Table 3> Most concerning environmental issues in South Korea Air pollution 70% Dealing with waste 51% Global warming or climate change 48% Future energy sources and supplies 26% Emissions 20% Water pollution 18% Overpopulation 12% Deforestation 9% Natural resource depletion 6% Wildlife conservation 4% Source: https://www.statista.com/topics/5930/climate-change-in-south-korea/

Nonetheless, it is not that Seoul is neglecting this problem. In order to deal with severe air pollution, Seoul has adopted the Air Pollution Monitoring Network. As seen in Figure 1, there are 148 monitoring stations enlisted under the Ministry of Environment and 506 stations enlisted under local governments. The different stations measure different types of air quality like road-side air quality, suburban and city air quality. It also measures pollutants such as acid deposition, PM2.5 concentrations, and photochemical pollutants as well. These stations help raise awareness of the public by releasing the information via official websites including Seoul Public Health and Environment Research Institute. Furthermore, this air pollution monitoring network served as a forecast to alert the citizens daily and evaluate the impact of policies associated with the environment.

<Figure 1> Categories within the Domestic Air pollution Measurement Network

Source: Ministry of Environment, Air Pollution Monitoring Network Installation and Operation Manual, 2011

In addition, Seoul has implemented Fine Dust Forecasting and Warning System in 2019 to manage and control people’s actions according to the fine dust density. The system notifies public centers such as hospitals and senior-citizen centers to refrain the elderly and young children from outdoor activities when the fine dust density is high. They have adopted the Air Pollution Monitoring Network and are actively communicating with the public via official websites including Seoul Public Health and Environment Research Institute.

As Seoul continues to urbanize, managing the urban population’s needs is of utmost significance. As air pollution is detrimental to the environment while directly affect people’s health, the government is striving to deal with it by implementing policies and establishing associated agencies. The government’s effort and an attempt must be sustained since air pollution is not a problem that can be solved in a short time. For a sustainable future, active discussion on all spheres of environmental impact due to urbanization is called for.

 

References

68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN | UN DESA Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2018, May 18). Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html

Policies to reduce pollution and protect health. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2020, from https://www.edf.org/airqualitymaps/oakland/policies-reduce-pollution-and-protect-health

Population Growth. (2018, March 07). Retrieved October 15, 2020, from http://data.si.re.kr/eng_p_population_growth

Seoulsolution. (2016, December 19). Urbanization Planning of Seoul. Retrieved October 15, 2020, from https://www.seoulsolution.kr/en/content/urbanization-planning-seoul

Seoulsolution. (2018, June 11). Air Pollution Monitoring Network. Retrieved October 15, 2020, from https://www.seoulsolution.kr/en/content/6540

So, W. (2020, September 28). South Korea: Leading environmental issues 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/999569/south-korea-leading-environmental-issues/

Tyson, J. (2020, February 03). The psychological, economic, and social costs of air pollution. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/psychological-economic-and-social-costs-air-pollution