Translator: Joanna Alice Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda
(Music)
(Applause)
For me, who was born and raised in Indonesia,
my journey of looking at the importance of air quality
just started a few years ago.
Out of curiousity,
I measured the air quality in my house which is in South Jakarta.
My wife and I chose this house as it has a garden,
which is green and has a lot of trees.
We thought it was a key
to protect us from air pollution in Jakarta.
Apparently, the air quality was worse than the city center in Kuningan area .
What we breathe will affect us,
but not as we imagined.
Let us bust a few myths today.
First, areas with more trees have better air quality.
Second, the air is fresher and of better quality in the morning.
And third, doing exercises would negate the effects of air pollution.
Data from FKUI showed that 50% of the population
was admitted to hospitals in Jakarta due to air pollution.
It is time for us to do a health check related to air pollution
before we get sick faster and die.
The pollution we are talking about is known as PM 2,5.
It is a very small particle.
So small, it can go deep into our lungs.
PM 2,5 can make us very sick
especially for our children aged under 5 years.
‘Nafas’ installed more than 160 air quality sensors
in Jabodetabek, Bandung, Surabaya, Jogja and Bali.
Air pollution is a hyperlocal event.
Environmental issues around us
that occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Let us look at a few locations using data from 2021,
when many people work from home and outdoor activities were restricted.
The 24 hours period is indicated from top to bottom.
Days of the year indicated from left to right.
The level of PM 2,5 is measured in micrograms per square metre (µg/m³).
This is Kuningan, the city centre.
Its PM 2,5 reading was 32 in 2021.
Bintaro, South Tangerang, 56.
Mekarsari in Bekasi, 52.
Gunung Sindur in Bogor, 61.
And for those that work in Sanur, Bali,
a sharp drop,
an average PM 2,5 of 14,5 in 2021.
We just started to measure Bandung and Surabaya
in the 4th quarter, but this is the initial data.
Sukamenak, Bandung, 40.
Surabaya, 36.
As a reference, WHO’s previous guidelines
for annual PM 2,5 exposure was 10 (µg/m³).
Now it is 5 (µg/m³).
Now, you can see why regional environmental data is needed.
Every region is different.
Data helps in better policy making.
And air quality data like this
can help us solve environmental
and health issues that Indonesians currently face.
Then, what it has to do with the climate?
To put it simply, the formula for air pollution consists of two things.
Source of pollution --
transportation, factory byproduct,
even smokes from satay vendors and trash burning --
we have full control over this.
Second is the pollution manipulator --
atmosphere condition, weather, wind, rain, etc.
These are completely beyond our control.
When climates change, atmospheric conditions changed.
At times it rains, other times, it doesn’t rain at all.
The wind comes and goes, or completely changes its direction.
As our climate change gets worse, so does our air pollution.
FKUI predicts that in 2030
Jakarta’s air pollution will be 50% worse from now.
Start-ups can play a key role in solving this issue.
One of unsustainable consumptions
brought us here today.
We can improve on what NGOs have done for a long time.
We can make ESG framework from corporate profit and loss component
as one of the core focus in business.
We can help to provide data that has never been seen before
to help the government make policies.
We can give people options on sustainable products and ones that aren’t.
We need to collaborate with those
who want a better world, but are yet to be sustainable.
The biggest problem with air pollution is
that it is not something that can be solved by a single person.
We all need to work on it.
Individuals, start-ups, corporations, and government.
This is something that you can do.
First, manage your own air pollution exposure.
Use an air quality sensor to check outdoor conditions, like the weather.
Or use an air quality monitoring sensor indoors.
Second, get your company or brand involved in air quality.
There are many things you can do.
Third, make air pollution into your area’s political agenda.
Air pollution revolution in China, USA, and UK
was driven by people asking the government to change.
And in their countries,
air pollution was reduced by data-driven policy making.
2024 is the election year.
We have two years to place climate crisis into the agenda.
Data should be our foundation in the future.
If you think medical check-ups are important for you,
maybe we need to have medical check-ups
for the environment we live in.
Thank you.