Air Pollution in the Middle East, A case study of Saudi Arabia

Air Pollution in the Middle East, A case study of Saudi Arabia

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Air Pollution in the Middle East, A case study of Saudi Arabia

Air pollution is a mixture of natural and humanmade substances released into the atmosphere that causes damages to both living organisms and structures. Naturally, the air near the earth’s surface consists of 99.97 percent of four leading gases, which is Carbon (IV) Oxide (0.04 percent), molecular nitrogen (78 percent), argon (0.93 percent), and oxygen (20.94 percent). Most of the gases that make the air are quite stable under the atmospheric pressure and temperature except for Carbon Dioxide, one of the major air pollutants, that has been increasing by about 0.03 percent since the onset of the industrial revolution.

Air pollution can be categorized into two groups, indoor and outdoor pollution. The exposure to harmful particles released by burning fossils such as petroleum products and coal, noxious gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and chemical vapor as well as ground-level ozone outside an enclosed building is known as outdoor air pollution. On the other hand, indoor pollution involves exposure to exposure to harmful particles such as dust, pollen, and household chemicals, as well as other harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, within an enclosed building.

The rate of air pollution in the world has increased gradually since the advent of the industrial revolution in the early 1800s. As the number of automobiles and petroleum-based machines continues to increase, the rate of emissions in the atmosphere continues to rise exponentially. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80 percent of people living in urban centers are exposed to air pollutants. More than 95 percent of cities in low and medium-income countries in the world do not meet the air quality standards set by WHO. Because of this worrying statistics, the World Health Organization (2016) categorizes air pollution as the largest environmental health risk and one of the greatest global health hazards.

Air pollution poses most significant to humans and other living organisms. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is responsible for more than seven million deaths annually. In other words, out of eight premature death, one is caused by the effects of air pollution. Moreover, out of the seven million deaths caused by air pollution, more than 600,000 are children under than age of five (Rees 2016, p.4). Household pollution is responsible for more than 4.3 million deaths annually, while outdoor pollution accounts for 3.7 million deaths annually. Harmful particles and gasses released in the atmosphere can block damage human reparatory systems, causing heart disease, which is then followed by chronic respiratory conditions, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and cancers.

The impact of air pollution is far-reaching and cuts across all regions as well as social and economic groups. However, some regions and individuals are more likely to be affected more by the effects of air pollution than others. According to Schraufnagel et al. (2019), people living in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia are more likely to get exposed to air pollutants and, therefore, are more susceptible to air pollution health effects than those who live in other parts in the world. Pollution in the Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia has been on the rise in the last 15 years despite several measures placed by the government and other lobby groups to clean the air, particularly in the urban centers.

Air Pollution in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest oil producers in the world, with probability the most vibrant economy in the gulf region. The country is located in the desert where day time temperatures are relatively higher than most regions in the tropical and temperate areas, and therefore, most people spend more time in the officers, shopping malls, and residential areas than outdoor.  As a result, people in Saudi Arabia are more susceptible to indoor air pollution than outdoor air pollution. Air pollution in Saudi Arabia is linked to three main factors.

First, Saudi Arabia is located in a desert region experiencing high temperatures and humidity and well as strong winds. Because of the high temperatures and high-speed winds, the country experiences constant dust storms, which reduced the health quality of air and caused various health hazards to inhabitants. Dust particles can cause temporary blindness, vision impairment, and various respiratory complications. Moreover, the dust storm may harbor different disease-causing pathogens such as bacteria that can cause infections in the respiratory systems of humans and animals.

Second, air pollution in Saudi Arabia linked to increased use of automobiles, particularly the private transport systems. The hot conditions in the country make it difficult for people to use public transport systems to commute in the cities; therefore, many people prefer private cars to public transport mediums such as rails. Moreover, the Arabian culture discourages women and children from sharing public places making private cars the most suitable medium of transport. As the number of automobiles increases, the rate of Carbon Dioxide and other harmful gases emission also increases significantly, making air pollution in the country a national concern.

Third, most people in Saudi Arabia prefer to stand indoors outdoor because of the hush weather conditions characterized by high temperatures and strong winds. As a result, household air pollution accounts for the highest percentage of pollution in the country, with an annual death slightly more than 1,400 (World Health Organization). Most of the household pollutants are emitted from kitchen activities, second-hand smoke, infiltration from an ambient source, emission from household materials, overcrowding, and burning incense. Moreover, because of high ambient temperatures that favor photochemical reactions, sulfur dioxide can be converted to a particular sulfur matter, which is harmful when inhaled (Hamdan et al., 2018, p.74). Moreover, similar studies conducted in the United Arab Emirates, which is an adjacent country to Saudi Arabia, established that the burning of incense is the primary cause of indoor air pollution.

Air pollution in Saudi Arabia has a severe social-economic effect on the populace. According to the World Bank (2016), as of 2014, Air pollution was responsible for more than 12,000 deaths annually, making it the most significant environmental health hazard in the country. According to Arabian Business (2018), air pollution reduces the life expectancy of the Saudi’s population by 1.5 years averagely, which is six months higher than the global estimated rates of one year. The outdoor air in Saudi Arabia is estimated to have 2.5 microns of particulate matter that can cause various lung complications, heart attack, and stroke, cancers as well as other respiratory diseases.

Legislative and administrative framework on environmental issues in Saudi Stabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recognizes the fact that air pollution is a primary environmental health concern in the country. As such, the country has made tremendous steps to protect the environment and health of netizens through legislation and policies. The country passed three central legislations on the environment in 2012 to protect citizens from the increasing outdoor and household air pollution (Farahat 2016, p.196)

The first legislation was the Ambient Air Standard 2012, which established the responsibilities of Metrology and Environment president and set out limits for ambient air quality. The policy provides guidelines for maintenance and restoration of ambient air quality to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution and, in turn, elongate life expectancy in the kingdom. The other environmental-related policy in Saudi Arabia is the Standard on Emission from Mobile Sources 2012, which regulated the number of emissions from mobile appliances such as agricultural machines, generators, and large earthmoving equipment. The policy sets out the limit values of emissions that manufacturers must not exceed. Moreover, this legislation exempted recreational vehicles but covered small and large petroleum and diesel engines.

Lastly, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia passes the General Environmental Standard for Noise of 2012 legislation in March 2012 that introduced noise emission limits. The law regulated the level of noise from construction sites, motor vehicles, and other outdoor equipment. However, this policy exempted public transport systems such as commercial air crafts, trains, and helicopters as well as sports events and prayer calls.

Although they have taken long before they are fully enforced, the new environmental laws have significantly influenced the quality of air in the country. Most mobile equipment manufacturers have complied with the policy on ambient air pollution and other environmental policy, resulting in relatively cleaner air. Moreover, the adoption of these environmental legislation has also created awareness on the health impact of air pollution, particularly to the majority population that lives in urban centers.

Challenges of communication air pollution risk in Saudi Arabia

The public is major stakeholders in any government and must be informed about the various phenomenon that is affecting their lives directly or indirectly. When making critical decisions about public health, it is imperative to inform the general public at the outset because they are on the receiving end of every decision. Moreover, the success of government initiatives on public health heavily relies on the level of understanding by the public. Moreover, the information relayed to the populace must be appropriately framed so that a lay audience can understand it. However, communicating the risk of air pollution and passing legislation on the topic is quite challenging because of two main reasons.

First, the deeply rooted religious and cultural beliefs make it difficult to communicate to pass certain information that contradicts the religious teachings. Saudi Arabian netizens are Muslim loyalists who would not take any information that is not in line with Muslim teaching and traditions. Therefore, the first message of communicating air pollution risk is to bypass the thin layer of religion to find the most suitable way of relaying the information without negatively (intentionally or not) touching on religion.

Second, Saudi Arabia being the largest oil producer in the world with the highest oil-related income on the continent, it would be difficult to communicate the dangers of air pollution, which is caused by the consumption of their main “product.” In this regard, changing the perception of the public is perhaps the greatest challenge of communicating the risks of having poor air quality to the public (Kelly and Fussell 2015, p.638). Therefore, communicating air quality benefits and risks may not be effective because of the perception of people who feel that their business is at risk if the air pollution measures are implemented and those living in the rural areas who feel that they are safe from the risk.

Similarly, there are various challenges in developing legislation to reduce air pollution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The primary challenge of developing legislation on air pollution in the country is an overreliance on petroleum products due to their availability of low cost. Being the world’s largest producer, the cost of petrol and other petroleum products is relatively low, making it one of the most consumed products in the country. Since the country depends on the non-renewable source of energy, which is the primary cause of air pollution, it is difficult to develop policies to regulate the consumption of petroleum products without creating conflicts of interest.

Secondly, Saudi Arabian deep-rooted culture, which encourages large families and the burning of incenses, makes it difficult to develop air pollution regulations. The government of Saudi Arabia is yet to develop a policy that would help in reducing indoor air pollution that is currently at high levels in the country.  The Arabian culture also discourages the sharing of public places such as the public transport system, particularly for women, making it difficult for the government to reduce the number of motor vehicles on the roads through legislation as one of the most reliable methods of reducing air pollution.

This study recommends the use of a renewable source of energy as the source of electricity in households. As of 2015, 90 percent of the electricity consumed in the country was generated by non-renewable sources (El-Sharkawy and Dahlawi 2019, p.517). The use of renewable energy will not only improve the health standard in the country and consequently increase their life span but also enable the country to realize its sustainable development goals as set out by the United Nations. This study recommends that the use of green energy should not only be enshrined in the country’s constitutions but also included in its strategic objectives and vision 2030.

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