AdminGreenpeace Malaysia has launched a digital campaign titled ‘Invisible Cigarettes,’ shedding light on the severe health risks associated with air pollution from domestic and transboundary haze. The campaign highlights that regularly breathing haze with a 500 Air Pollutant Index (API) could be equivalent to smoking approximately 23 cigarettes a day, while long-term exposure to air pollution levels exceeding the 101 API mark is equivalent to smoking around 4.5 cigarettes daily.
The campaign draws attention to the growing evidence linking long-term exposure to ambient air pollution to mortality, making it the most significant external threat to human life expectancy globally, as reported in the Air Quality Life Index’s (AQLI) 2023 report. The impact of PM2.5, a fine particulate matter found in air pollution, is comparable to that of smoking, surpassing the effects of alcohol use, unsafe water, and transport injuries like car crashes by significant margins.
Greenpeace Malaysia’s digital campaign aims to raise awareness about the decades-long issue of transboundary haze in Malaysia, prompting society to question what is considered safe. It also encourages Malaysians to sign a petition demanding the government enact a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA).
The campaign employs powerful and unsettling imagery, emphasizing the vulnerability of specific populations, including children, pregnant individuals, and older adults, who unwittingly inhale hazardous PM2.5 from air pollution, likened to smoking.
Demanding a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act
Heng Kiah Chun, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Regional Campaign Strategist, expressed frustration over the ongoing discussions among ASEAN country heads regarding transboundary haze pollution. He stated, “ASEAN country heads have been discussing transboundary haze pollution for decades with promises made most recently in the ASEAN meeting. However, judging from the unhealthy levels of air pollution we are still experiencing regionally, talk is weak. The governments should not normalize haze; clean air is a human right.”
Chun further emphasized the need for stronger governmental actions to address both domestic and international polluters. He urged, “It is time our ministers re-table a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in the upcoming parliament sitting so they have the authority to enforce their actions to stop big polluters both domestically and abroad and protect our rights to clean air and the name of our palm oil industry.”
Malaysians deserve clean air
James Yap, Creative Director of Leo Burnett Malaysia, highlighted the pressing need for greater awareness among Malaysians regarding the haze issue. He stated, “Greenpeace Malaysia is perhaps the only visible voice against the annual haze situation, and this is part of an effort to get Malaysians to care because we think awareness is quite low.”
Yap pointed out that many Malaysians have grown accustomed to haze over the past two decades, considering it an inconvenience of living in the country. He stressed the importance of changing this attitude, saying, “But this acceptance should not be the norm because our ‘tidak apa – biasalah’ attitude does not serve our health well and because we have a right to clean air.”
Greenpeace Malaysia’s ‘Invisible Cigarettes’ campaign aims to galvanize public support for immediate action to combat air pollution and transboundary haze while emphasizing that clean air is a fundamental human right that should not be compromised.
To join the cause and make your voice heard, please consider signing the petition for the re-tabling of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act by visiting the link provided: https://act.gp/45YKrOX.
CJMY
Shufiyan Shukur
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