Worksheet#2

Questions

1. The most important part of R.A. 8749 is the declaration that we have the right to breathe clean
air. Do you think that we are all freely exercising this right? Or are we deprived of this basic right?
Consider life in the major cities of the Philippines and the numerous sources of air pollution such
as industrial sources, motor vehicles, cigarette smoking, and other sources. You can go beyond
your personal life to look at the situations of other people.

2. The issue of Global Warming and Climate Change is not simply just an
environmental issue. A surprisingly large part of it is political in nature. The
policies enacted by the countries with the largest emissions largely dictate our
trajectory of GHG mitigation.
Under the Trump administration, the USA was pulled out of the Paris
Agreement, marking a monumental disappointment in keeping our collective
promise of maintaining the global average temperature change less than 2 oC.
Trump stated that the Paris Agreement was "unfair" for American workers,
alluding to the job creation by large oil companies (you can read his full
speech, although his record of frequent lying and twisting the truth puts a big
question mark on the credibility of his words).
With the recent failure of Donald Trump to be re-elected, President Joe Biden
promised to bring the USA back into the Paris Agreement as soon as possible,
a welcome news for the global community.
Discuss the political side of GHG mitigation, Global Warming, and Climate
Change. You can take a look at the top 10 countries with the largest
emissions, their allies and enemies, and their leaders' stand on Climate
Change (do they accept or deny the science of Climate Change?). Why are
some leaders denying the science of Climate Change, and what could be the
effect on the mindset of the people? Don't you think it is angering to hear a
powerful leader of a nation deny Climate Change, despite a pool of scientific
evidence, despite the calls of the scientific community? Just a side
note, that "leader" also believes that vaccines cause autism and that the noise
from wind turbines cause cancer.
Sorry for the built-in rant. Feel free to rant on your answer as well. Also, feel
free to applaud yourself for being more scientific and fact-based
than that "President".

3. A handful of new coal-fired power plants were comissioned for commercial

operaration in the Philippines over the past 10 years, drawing the ire of
environmental groups. Their opposition is meritorious, though; coal-fired
power plants release a number of harmful substances to the environment and
it perpetuates our reliance on coal as a source of energy.
 List all the pollutants that are generated in the operations of a typical coal-fired
power plant. Next, discuss air pollution control technologies, whether
established or emerging, that can address those pollution problems. Can a
single treatment system deal with all of the different pollutants? Do you think
that the cost of investing in these air pollution control technologies is too much
of a burden for power plants?
Answers:

Student #1
1. We are all excercisng this right however, we are not breathing the clean air. We are also the
one causing these pollutions. For example here in the metro manila, people prefer having a
motorcycle than commuting because the government cannot provide enough and reliable
public transportation. A lot of us also smoke cigarettes in public places, we should have a
smoking ban in places where its usually crowded. Deploy smoking areas, because let us
admit, the number problem here in the Philippines particularly in Metro Manila is that most
citizens lack discipline, being selfish. Because if we are disciplined enough, we can excercise
this right the proper way, we can breath clean air even if we are in the Metro. Because when I
look at other people for example the very unfortunate ones, they are just being the victims of
our doings, our pollution from motor vehicles, from smoking. We are excercising this right, but
we do not excercising it properly as we are the ones who pollute the air that we breath.  
2. According to https://www.ucsusa.org/, China has been the largest country to emitte
carbon dioxide in 2018, a large reason for that is China has been center of
production of a lot of materials or gadgets. Everything is being made or
assembled in China. According to voa news, China committed to the UN that
they aim to have CO2 neutrality by 2060, it means that the CO2 that they
emitte to the atmosphere is equal to the CO2 removed. It means a lot for me
that China is commited with climate change, and for me there is a chance for
us to reduce the climate change that is happening, we just need to have
continous effort with doing such actions. USA is the second largest country
with 5.41GT nearly half of what China is emmitting with 10.06GT, President
Joe Biden also joined China with the commitment of CO2 neuutrality. 

The political side of these issues can dictate the reputation and image of the
President or the country as more and more countries are moving towards
preventing climate change and GHG. It could affect the economy of one's
country. But in a political perspective, it is a very difficult situation especially
when you are in a developing country as limiting your CO2 emissions and
thriving towards better economy is hard to balance out, because one reason is
that we don't have the technology and resources to do such thing. However,
not gearing towards limiting GHG could also impact our country in terms of
foreign investors. But, for me we are just the victims of larger countries who
emit CO2 the greatest. Like China, we are one of the most closest country in
terms of distance with China, so most of its emission could be towards us. 

And as of other leaders who don't believe of climate change and GHG, I don't
know why, but I think they just don't feel the effect of GHG and climate change
 in their countries, or they are just not educated enough to know that GHG and
climate change exist for a long time now. They just don't care about nature
and environment, they con't care with it's citizen who will suffer because they
are blessed with a great life compared to others. That is why for me it is
important that we have a leader that is very well educated, not just achieving a
undergraduate degree, but for me to be a president you must have at least a
Master's Degree. 

3. The main pollutant caused by coal plants are; CO2, CH4, SO2, NOx, Mercury,
Lead, Cadmium, CO, Volatile Organic Compounds, Arsenic and Particle
Matter. Out of the technologies that have been discussed, wet scrubbers are
for me the most reasonable as they target the most pollutants. Another
technology that is currently in study is photocatalyctic reaction with TiO2 as
the photocatalyst. These is our topic for our thesis which targets NOx. This
technology is a emerging technology for NOx removal in air. Benefits of this
techonology are, low cost, environmental friendly, high stability, and non-toxic.
However, due to the wide band gap of TiO2 it limits the efficiency and results
in unsatisfactory photocatalytic performance. TiO2 could not reach its peak
performance due to low light capability, and high recombination rate. 

A single treatment could not be enough for now, but for the future it could be a
posibility. The number of coal plants is just too many for a single treatment for
all pollutants. The cost would be large and there is not enough technology yet
to reduce the cost of treatment. What could be done now is to find renewable
sources for energy, like solar energy fkr water dams that could produce
electricity. For me treatment is now yet sustainable at this time, what we could
do is add or replace traditional coal plants with alternatve renewable source. 
Student #2
1. The R.A. 8749, also known as the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999, aims to achieve and
maintain healthy air for Filipinos, giving us the right to breathe clean air. In line with this, it also
bans incineration, emission standards for motor vehicles, prohibits smoking inside public spaces
and public transport, and regulates fuel and fuel additives. I do believe that, here in the
Philippines, we are being deprived of this basic right. 
Most of the cities in the Philippines are highly affected by air pollution; this means that the
people living in these cities are the ones who were most deprived of the right to breathe clean air.
One of the main reasons why this phenomenon occurs is overpopulation. Most people stay in
cities due to the universities and job opportunities offered. This phenomenon results in an
enormous number of vehicles going in and out of the cities, which has a big impact on air
pollution due to fuel burning. Another factor would be the number of factories operating in the
cities that play a role in air pollution. Most factory pollutants are greenhouse gases from the
burning of fossil fuels during its operation.
           As someone living in Laguna and attending university in Manila, the sky would always be
clearer in Laguna compared to Manila. Meaning, people in the province are not much deprived of
the right to breathe clean air. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), in
2015, it is recorded that there are 13.1 million adults who are smoking tobacco daily.
Consequently, there also several factories now transferring from the cities to the different
 provinces. Despite having rules and regulations regarding the Clean Air Act, its implementation
does not suffice the number of air pollutants that affect both cities and provinces here in the
Philippines. Therefore, through the data and scenarios presented, we are being deprived of
the right to breathe clean air.
References:
https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-global/asia/Philippines
https://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/survey/gats/fact-sheet-2015.pdf
https://sciencing.com/environmental-pollution-caused-by-factories-12071269.html

2. Greenhouse gases (GHG), global warming, and climate change has been associated as threats to
the environment, humanity, and nature as a whole. Greenhouse gas emissions have been part of
people’s lives. The food consumed to the tools used for everyday chores and even to the
transportation utilized means its presence is simply inevitable. The excessive greenhouse gas
emissions have led to extreme environmental issues such as wildfires worldwide, melting of ice
caps in Antarctica, alarming air and dust pollution in China, and depletion of food resources
around the globe. This also had led to a domino effect; the abundant greenhouse gas emissions
lead to global warming, then to climate change and all other environmental issues due to these
phenomena.
The beyond far from normal greenhouse gas emissions have been a problem before and are
subject to worsen through the coming years. However, despite seeing the adverse effects of
greenhouse emissions such as – global warming and climate change, there are still people who
deny the science of climate change. These are the people who are political leaders of the countries
with the largest greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, most business leaders who own fossil
fuel companies deny climate change as well.
Political leaders who deny the science of climate change have their own agenda with the fossil
fuel industry. For example, the United States of America is one of the countries with the largest
emission worldwide, which highly benefits the fossil fuel industry because of the amount of
money it brings to the country. This phenomenon has caused Donald Trump to continuously deny
the science of climate change. China and India are recognized as the countries that are heavily
populated. In China, manufacturing companies are found everywhere, contributing to air
pollution. However, in India, their energy source comes from the burning of coal and biomass,
which highly contributes to global warming.
In conclusion, the only reason why political leaders deny scientific evidence of climate change is
because of money. Since they highly benefit from greenhouse gas emission activities, they don’t
seek change simply because they only think of themselves. Furthermore, people who reject the
idea of climate change are solely concerned with the short-term benefits of their actions rather
than the long-term consequences of mitigation, global warming, and climate change.

3. The pollutants that are generated in the operations of a typical coal-fired power plant include –
Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, Particulate matter, Carbon dioxide, certain heavy metals, and
ash (residues). From the lecture given, it was stated that the pollutants such as Sulfur dioxide,
Nitrogen oxides, Carbon dioxide, and particulate matter are treated by using a packed bed
absorber or a wet scrubber. Consequently, ash (residues) is a type of pollutant that behaves like a
particulate matter in the air; ash can be treated the same air pollution control technology can be
used in particulate matter. Heavy metals are air pollutants known for their hazardous particles; a
thermal oxidizer can treat these metals. Treatment systems must differ from one another because
each of the pollutants has distinct features and properties. The target pollutant determines the
design of air pollution treatment systems. This means that numerous kinds of treatment systems
will be utilized, incurring costs and burden for the power plants. Different types of pollutants are
regularly emitted by coal-fired power plants and other power plants. The presence of various
types of pollutants necessitates the use of various treatment technologies. As a result, some
 power plant owners are uninterested in addressing and treating air pollution, resulting in the
power plants contributing to the problem.

Student #3

1. We have all the rights to ckean air, but some are deprived of it. The Clean Air
Act og 1999 regulates the safety level of pollutants in the atmosphere to
provide healthy and clean air to everyone. However, reports showed that the
PM2.5 concnetration in Quezon City, Philippines reaches to 14.6 ug/m³ in 2018
to 17.6 ug/m³ in 2019 which was very far from the safety limit of 10 ug/m³ as
set by the World Health Organization (WHO). " Our safety standards for air
pollution haven't change since 1999... what's worse is that there is still no
efficient air quality monitoring systems...", said by Khevin Yu of Greenpeace
Phil. Some concerned groups raised these issues to the government by having
the following course:
 Declare air pollution as a national issue to mobilize all the concern government organizations tp address the
issue as soon as possible.
 Update and revise the Clean Air Act of 1999 to provide a more stringent implementing rules and
regulations for a cleaner air.
 Mandate installment of air monitoring devices in all municipalities or barangay

These movements ar enecessary, especially, in urbanized areas to promote clean

air and reduce the pollutants generated from industrialization. Moreover, these
place are more susceptible to high concentration of criteria pollutants due to
increased human daily activities which can be very harmful to human health.
Therefore, people of the urban areas have the basic right to clean air but cannot
'freely' exercise the law. Aa comlared to rural areas, these places have more
space for tree planting and low industrialization activities that makes them
accessible to clean air.
2. We should take note that the leaders of the country represents the clintry in an
international agreement. Their decision to pursue or withdraw any
memorandum of agreement (or any form of negotiations, written or verbal) in
an environmental issue reflects their ,somewhat, personal stand to the issue.
As in the case of former Pres. Trump, he is a well-known businessman, to
which, he prioritizes money and connection over any matters. In connection,
the environmental issues cannot be verified as a result of environmental
phenomena without the science. Therefore, Pres. Trump saw GHG issue as a
mere excuse for people to retardate the economic progress of America
(backing up the fact the China has almost dominated America in economic
atand in the international community). This is alarming to the community.
All people, with the advancement of technology, should know believe that a
fact supported by science really exist. Therefore, environmental issue is not an
excuse. It is a fact supported by science and should now be address to retain
the world's health.
 One of the known cause of climate change is due to the rapid industrialization.
Thus, the experts advises that the first-world cpuntries to slows down their
industrialization to lessen the GHG emission, while, maintaining the
industrialization to the second and thirld-world countries. This suggestion has
not been accepted all over the world, thus, sticks to the environmental
agreement such as Paris Climate Agreement.
Addition to that, enviromental issues that are denied by authorities with high
position (president, vice president) affects the belief of its people to the
environmental issue. Let's consider this pandemic on how President affects the
belief of people that wearing face mask is not necessary during the pandemic.
This, then, results to some people not wearing face mask because their
president told them not to. Likewise to the environmental issues. 
Among the top 10 countries with highest carbon emission includes China, USA,
India, Russia, Germany, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. The
top 2 polluters (China and USA) are signature of the Paris Agreement which is
a good news to the global community.

3. Coal-fired plants generates the following:

 sulfur dioxide
 NOx
 Hydrochloric acid
 Hydrofluoric acid
 Hg and other residues such as ash
 particulate matter

Most of this pollutants belongs tot he criteria pollutants, which can be very harmful
to human.

To address this issue, some technologies were used to capture the said pollutants
before they are even withdraw into the atmosphere. Such technologies include:

 Flue gas desulphurization (FGD)

FGD uses the principle same as wet scrubbing, wherein, the flue gas (containing
SO2) enters the scrubber tower which then reacts with limestone (can be
ammonia or sodium sulphite) mixed with water. The calcite or calcium hydroxide in
the limestone reacts with SO2 forming Ca-S compound.This can remove from up
to 95% of sulfur dioxide in the flue gas.
 Fluidized bed combustion (FBC)

The solid fuel is fluidized then combusted to promote more efficient heat transfer.
The more efficient the heat tranfer, the lower temperature of combustion is
needed. As a result, lower concentration of N2O is generated along the process.

 Oxy-combustion

This technology uses pure oxygen in burning fuel to produce mainly CO2
poluutants. Compare to other methods, wherein, air is used, some pollutants is
generated due to the presence of nitrogen and other elements coming from the air.
With this technology, only oxygen is supplied, therefore, majority of the pollutant
contain CO2 with minimum amount of other pollutants.

These technologies can work in series to reduce the concentration of pollutants to

safety level. These technologies are worth investing mainly in compliance with law
to reduce the emission of pollutants to safety level. Moreover, these technologies
act as a strength of the company as some are using it as an advertisement due to
them being eco-friendly. To weigh the advantages of these technologies, it cannot
be considered as burden. If these technologues were not used by coal plants, then
they don't have means to reduce the pollutant level, thus,  they can be subjected
for a lawsuit which cost more than those technologies.