Jakarta (29 May 2017) World health agency WHO has released World Health Statistic 2017 report. The report says total deaths from air pollution are 6.7 million deaths in 2012. This represents 11.6% of global deaths. Of this amount, as many as 4.3 million deadths due to domestic air pollution. And 3 million died due to outdoor pollution.
For Indonesia, there were 85 deaths per 100,000 population in 2012 due to air pollution. This means there were 210,800 deaths throughout Indonesia in the year due to air pollution.
Of the total 210,800 deaths, 165,000 were due to domestic air pollution. In this category, Indonesia is ranked number 3 after China and India recorded. The rest, which is 45,800 died due to outdoor air pollution.
The number of deaths is very alarming. And potentially big increases since 2012 as the government does not reduce the source of the cause.
The source of the cause of domestic air pollution is generally due to the use of firewood as fuel. That way, the government needs to introduce cleaner energy, especially in areas that still use firewood for cooking.
Meanwhile, sources of outdoor air pollution outside are mainly motor vehicles and coal-fired power plants.
Pius Ginting, activist of AEER (Ecological Action and the Emancipation of People) stated to save the lives of the people from death due to air pollution, Jokowi’s energy policy which puts coal as the dominant power plant every year, from 53% in 2014 to 56% by 2015, needs to be changed immediately by putting renewable energy as a major energy source. Renewable energy is continuing cheaper safe for people’s health.