Air pollution is a major global issue that poses significant risks to human health, leading to chronic heart and lung diseases, lung cancer, stroke and respiratory infections. 

This was how Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga over the weekend gave importance to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s air quality monitoring mission here.

Loyzaga said this will benefit Filipinos in several ways as she also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing air pollution, as the secretary tagged along selected media and toured the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s DC-8 aircraft on 8 February in Asian Aerospace in Clark, Pampanga.

She said the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality, a project led by NASA is an international collaborative research initiative with South Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, and the Philippines’ DENR, Philippine Space Agency, Manila Observatory and the University of the Philippines.

Loyzaga said that working together will contribute to a better understanding and management of air pollution, which ultimately protects the health and well-being of the populations of the participating countries.

“It contributes to the climate crisis and hastens global warming. With the world in need of cleaner air, governments are now working to prioritize preventing air pollution as an essential solution to one of the most pressing environmental problems in the world,” Loyzaga explained.

She added that the project will enhance air quality monitoring through access to advanced air quality monitoring techniques including satellite data, ground-based observations and atmospheric modeling tools.

Improved monitoring capabilities will result in accurate and comprehensive assessment of air pollution that will help the local government executives implement interventions to address air pollution hotspots.

“By utilizing the data and knowledge provided by this mission, we can enhance our air quality monitoring systems, develop evidence-based policies, and implement effective measures to improve public health and combat climate change,” Loyzaga said.