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GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK FOR YOUTH IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC


Gaseous pollutants are also linked to long-term health effects: exposure to nitrogen oxides increases the risk of developing several cardiovascular problems such as hypertension and coronary artery disease. Aside from this, prolonged exposure to sulphur oxides, methane and ground-level ozone is also directly linked to the incidence of long-term chronic asthma and other obstructive lung diseases.


Cleaning up the air


Reducing air pollution means tackling its source (Figure 22) – taking action to prevent emissions from happening in the first place. Many sources of toxic PM and gaseous pollutants are associated with burning and combustion. In most cities, it is also important that cars, buses and other vehicles have better engines and fuels, or better yet, people start using electric vehicles. Cities should be planned to accommodate not only vehicle traffic but also mass transport systems and have dedicated walking and bicycle lanes.


It is important to consider that as the economic competitiveness of cities in Asia and the Pacific increases, the resulting development must take account of not only mobility and easy access. Diverse modes of transport and the planning of green spaces are also required to offset air pollution in urban areas.


Cleaner energy also means cleaner air: industry and power generation activities can be improved by switching to renewable sources of energy. In rural areas, many people still use charcoal and fuel wood for cooking and heating, but providing access to low-emission stoves and fuels would help reduce pollution from this source and contribute to healthier


air for more people. 3.4 Food for thought Food production – is it enough to meet demand?


Ensuring adequate food supply to an exponentially growing population, while protecting biodiversity, and sustainably managing the world’s fixed amount of arable land is an significant challenge in the 21st century. Approximately 10 billion people will need to be fed by 2050; to meet that need the planet will have to produce more food in the next 80 years than it has been previously produced in all of human history (Smith 2018).


The Asia-Pacific region is an important area in terms of food production, but its output has been declining (Taniguchi et al. 2017). While the use of synthetic fertilizers has boosted global agricultural production (Erisman et al. 2008), it has contributed to environmental degradation, such as algal bloom and increased greenhouse gas emissions (Section 3.2). Climate change is complicating food production, threatening several important food crops in southern Asia and southern Africa if adaptation measures are not be implemented (Lobell et al. 2008).


Another challenge for food production is how to minimize pesticide use without losing crops to pest infestations. Some pesticides accumulate in the environment and then find their way into the food chain (Carvalho 2017), potentially posing risks to human health (Han et al. 2018). Furthermore. recent evidence suggests that some pesticides such as neonicotinoids threaten biodiversity by negatively impacting non-target


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