Asia is emerging from the covid-19 pandemic to a fragmented global economy, record-high commodity prices and climbing inflation. In this context, the costs and benefits of globalisation face a fundamental reappraisal. With the escalation of climate-related disasters in the region, the environmental impact of Asia’s rapid economic development is also coming under increasing scrutiny.
Arguably, air pollution is Asia’s most significant environmental challenge. Forty-nine of the top fifty cities impacted by air pollution are located in Asia. Increasing levels of PM 2.5 in major urban centres and greater awareness of the impacts of air pollution on human health are galvanising action across countries. Though the culprits are well-known, governments have demonstrated an uneven commitment to holding industry accountable for any adverse impacts on public health, the environment and related human rights abuses.
In 2011, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) unanimously adopted the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the world’s most authoritative, normative framework on responsible business practices available today. Ten years later the UNHRC recognised a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right. These two developments at the international level might be better leveraged to complement national efforts to address the human rights impacts of air pollution. For this reason, a recent report by Economist Impact, with support from UNDP and the European Union, is especially timely.
Asia in Focus: Clean Air and the Business and Human Rights Agenda will help facilitate greater understanding of the connection between environmental challenges such as air pollution and human rights. The report provides a comprehensive scope of the problem of air pollution in Asia and offers insights into the key challenges limiting progress. Importantly, the report also outlines recommendations drawn from the UNGPs to promote effective state policy action and more responsible business behaviour.
Across Asia, experts tell us that there is a lack of standardised data for sharing across ministries and governments. This means that the data sets cannot be compiled and a full picture of the problem cannot be formed. Furthermore, resources are not substantial enough to regulate and penalise violators of air pollution standards. Elsewhere resources are spread too thin, as too many ministries with overlapping mandates compete for space to work, or shift blame on each other when pollution control measures fail. Air quality inspectors are too far and few between. Governments at the sub-national level may be more responsive to air pollution problems but lack the authority to hold businesses accountable. In any case, big polluters are well-known but a lack of political will stymies any action. These companies, after all, are fuelling economic growth in uncertain times.
The challenges are many, but so are the solutions. And as Asia in Focus demonstrates, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is among the most powerful frameworks to give direction to our efforts.
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