THE PHILIPPINES’ FORUM FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS SINCE 1981 www.expatphilippines.ph
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February 21-March 5, 2016 Vol. XXXIV No. 10
A gorgeous view of Pacific Salt Farms Inc.’s 500-hectare salt farm in Bolinao, Pangasinan. The salt farm stands not only as one of the country’s largest producers of all things salt, it has helped elevate the lives of some 300 families who have worked for the company across four generations. To find out more about their products, visit www.salinas.com.ph. Photo by the talented Martin San Diego
US: ‘Now we have a Study: Air pollution claims green light’ on EDCA 5.5M lives annually worldwide “ A
Phl offers eight bases for US use ‘for mutual benefit’ By CHING DEE
By VIA BAROMA
new research, presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) last Feb. 14 to 15 in Washington, DC found that China and India, two of the world’s fastest-growing economies, account for 55 percent of yearly global deaths caused by air pollution. Some 1.6 million people died of air pollution in China while 1.4 million died in India, both in 2013. The data was compiled as an extension of the Global Burden of Disease project, an international collaboration led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington that measured health and its risk factors, including air pollution levels, for 188 countries between 1990 and 2013.
The study says cardiovascular disease accounts for most of the deaths from air pollution, along with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory infections. According to the research, the main culprit is the emission of tiny particles from power and industrial plants, burning coal and wood, as well as cars and other vehicles that was released into thin air that can harm people’s heath. “Air pollution is the fourth highest risk factor for death globally and by far the leading environmental risk factor for disease,” said Michael Brauer, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health in Vancouver, Canada. “Breathing in tiny liquid or solid particles can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, respiratory complaints and even cancer. And
while developed nations have made great strides in addressing this problem these sat few decades, the number of citizens dying as a result of poor air quality in developing countries is still climbing. Reducing air pollution is an incredibly efficient way to improve the health of a population,” Brauer added.
Poor air quality in China and India According to the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines, pollution should be restricted to 25 micrograms per cubic meter daily. Meanwhile, based on the research, Beijing and New Delhi had daily levels at or above 300 micrograms per cubic meter in February, which is higher than WHO guidelines. In China, burning coal is the page 3 biggest contributor to poor air
[EDCA] was challenged in the Supreme Court. Now we have a green light. We are involved in the planning now,” US Pacific Command (PaCom) Chief Admiral Harry Harris Jr. was quoted in a recent report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Referring to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), Harris emphasized that the agreement between the United States and the Philippines “allow [the US] to use some Philippine bases and allows [the US] to improve infrastructure at those bases.” The PaCom Chief also added that the agreement is not about creating new American bases in the Philippines, but is about using existing bases. According to Harris, the EDCA will be “for our mutual benefit,” citing that Washington is actively coordinating with the Philippine government to prioritize “bases and the possible infrastructure improvement.” “This will help the Armed page 4