WE hear too often that big, densely populated cities are the main cause of climate change, triggered by bloated populations, heightened demands in production, unresolved residential and industrial pollution, increased carbon footprint, and the sheer number of smoke-emitting vehicles, among other factors.
Looking at Metro Manila—at the volume of traffic we have on a daily basis, the amount of trash we produce, and the number of people living in it—it’s actually hard to imagine any other cause.
I’ve written a couple of times in the past about how real-estate developers like Megaworld, Ayala Land and Vista Land have begun looking and building outside of the big cities, creating communities and townships outside of Metro Manila. However, despite the fact that doing property development outside of the metropolis may greatly lessen the carbon footprint attributed to Metro Manila at present, it is only veering away from the problem and not addressing it head-on. Rural development may be well and good, but the reality is that the carbon-emission problems the big cities face will persist if we don’t do anything within them.
The challenge, therefore, is to come up with solutions within the cities themselves and transform them from being major contributors to the climate-change problem to actual problem solvers that help balance the current status of the world we live in.
Design + Innovation = Purpose
I recently came across an article about a Dutch designer who created a 23-foot air purifier that would suck up smog and then release clean, filtered air. This designer launched his idea through Kickstarter, of all places, and then explained the idea behind his project.
His invention—the Smog-Free Tower—can clean more than 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour and only runs on 1,400 watts of green energy. An interesting feature to this invention is that besides releasing filtered air, the machine converts the carbon particles into condensed gem stones which can be used for jewelry.
The designer intended his creation to be used in parks and open green spaces in big cities, working in tandem with already existing green initiatives. His invention is already being tested in the city of Rotterdam and provides hope for many of us who live in densely populated and highly polluted cities across the world. Remember, there are an estimated 3 million people who die prematurely due to air pollution every year.
If the project proves successful, our real-estate developers and government officials can consider making it a model for possible pollution and climate-change solutions embedded within their respective projects here in our country.
Improving on what already exists
Sometimes, even small but highly innovative ideas can ultimately lead to life-changing initiatives. One such initiative was a project done by students from a university in the United States. The group was able to come up with an idea that would help reduce pollution in the air through a surface coating that could be placed on roof tiles and other building materials.
Using an inexpensive coating of titanium dioxide, the roof tiles helped break down levels of nitrogen oxide into less harmful components, which would help in improving the quality of air in areas with dense amounts of air pollution.
A few years ago, our team at GeiserMaclang had the privilege of working with Boysen Paints in the “One Wall, One World” initiative, which launched the world’s first air-cleaning paint here in the Philippines. The initiative showcased how people and groups from all sectors can help address the worsening state of global warming by using a paint product proven to break down noxious air pollutants which came in contact with the wall surface.
It was decided then that the paint applied to parts of Edsa would help decrease the amount of pollutants being emitted by vehicles plying through the highway every day. This move was aimed at substantially improving the air quality in the area while aesthetically enhancing blandly painted walls lining some parts of the thoroughfare.
While pollution-fighting paint seemed like a small step to combating the growing problem we face in busy cities, it still served as an option for the growing developments that were being built around Edsa and other major thoroughfares. Moreover, the potential which lies in paint being such a basic and somewhat inexpensive part to establishing homes and buildings makes the possibilities for the paint’s use almost endless.
The fact of the matter is that while big cities have the tendency to largely contribute to climate change in a number of ways, within these big cities also exist the potential for so much growth and change. Because of the number of people and establishments present in large cities, the potential to apply innovative ideas multiplied by the number of people involved means that positive change can just be as enormous.
Indeed, urban districts also provide the venue and inspiration for people who want to make a difference in the communities they are living in. All of us have our own respective roles that we can and must play in order to address pressing issues. Going out of the city may be an answer, but staying in the city and being an agent of change and resolution can also be a resounding one.