DENR urges cleaner fuel, junking of old cars for cleaner air

DENR operatives use their smoke meter during a multisectoral, anti-smoke belching drive with members of the Anti-Smoke Belching Unit of the DOTC and the LTO. photo by Marianne Bermudez

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is proposing the earlier adoption of Euro 4 fuel standards, as well as the replacement of older cars that cannot meet the new standards. Previously criticized for lagging behind in adopting cleaner fuel standards, the DENR has proposed advancing the implementation of the Euro 4 fuel standards for new passenger and light duty vehicles.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje Jr. proposed to the Department of Energy the earlier implementation of the new emission limits, from the original January 2016 to June 2015, or six months ahead of schedule. Malaysia is set to adopt Euro 4 in January 2015, after pushing back the adoption from the earlier 2012 schedule. Euro 4 was implemented in the European Union in 2005, and the even more stringent Euro 5 standard in 2009, and Euro 6 in September this year.

Paje stressed that there was an “urgent need to improve Metro Manila’s air quality.”

He noted that vehicle emissions were the main source of air pollution in the metropolis.

Emission limits

In 2010, the government mandated that all new passenger and light duty motor vehicles to be introduced in the market must comply with Euro 4 emission limits, subject to Euro 4 fuel availability, beginning Jan. 1, 2016.

Since 2008, the country has been following Euro 2 emission limits.

Euro 2 fuel types have a sulfur content of 500 parts per million (ppm) compared to 50 ppm for Euro 4 fuels.

The sulfuric content of pollutants have been known to cause heart and lung disease, increase cancer risk and bring about premature death, the DENR said.

Replace cars

Clean-fuel advocates wanted the new vehicle emission standards implemented earlier than 2016, saying that it would take about 15 years to completely replace all the vehicles currently in use with cleaner ones.

Around 70 to 80 percent of the air pollution in Metro Manila comes from vehicle emissions, while the rest come from stationary sources such as industrial emissions and area sources like open burning, the DENR said.

As a measure of air pollution, the average recorded level of total suspended particulates (TSP) in Metro Manila last year was at 118 micrograms per cubic meter, which was higher than the acceptable or national annual guideline value of 90 micrograms per cubic meter.

“Clearly, the key to improving Metro Manila’s air quality is by addressing the biggest source of pollution, which is motor vehicles,” Paje said.

“We are therefore proposing an early implementation of the Euro 4 standards for automobile fuels and the scrapping of older high polluting vehicles,” he said.

The DENR said the automotive industry as well as owners of newer vehicles would not have difficulty meeting the earlier deadline since most newer vehicles were already compliant with or could be retrofitted to accept Euro 4 fuels.

The DENR also noted that independent fuel players were already selling Euro 4 compliant products.

Phase out

Paje urged the Department of Transportation and Communications to phase out vehicles that were at least 15 years old, saying that older vehicles consumed more fuel and produced more emissions.

As a compromise to such a phase-out, Paje suggested that older vehicles be barred from major thoroughfares prone to heavy traffic.

“Heavier traffic means more idling time for vehicles on the road. This leads to more emissions, and older vehicles have more toxic emissions,” he said.

With report by Dona Z. Pazzibugan