The science of inconvenient realities

The temporary respite from smog in northern and central Punjab should be treated exactly as that: temporary. Smog unfortunately is a yearly phenomenon that has gotten worse in our own lifetimes and continued to grow from a few days in late January to something now seen in mid-November. But it is neither a conspiracy against the good people of the country nor a spontaneous process. There is real science behind it that connects atmosphere and environment with our behaviour and our collective decisions. Unfortunately, the science part is often missing from the conversation.

We talk about smog as a reality but fail to ask what is smog, why do particle sizes matter, how long do they linger in the environment, why do they become an issue in winter, what do these particles do to our lungs and, above all, how much does our collective action matter in mitigating smog? When the government says that we should think about staying home or wearing a mask in the public to avoid respiratory ailments, we should wonder if this is the norm or can we turn the course. Not talking about the science is not only a missed opportunity to educate the community, but also takes us from the realm of rational, sustainable and educated decisions to impulsive and whimsical behaviour.

Smog is not the only inconvenient reality that a significant part of the population has to deal with, and now treats as an integral part of our winters. Other health matters are cloaked in similar cloaks of mystery. Last week the World Health Organisation carried out an aggressive campaign called “antibiotic awareness” — that asked for smarter, thoughtful and thorough decisions when using antibiotics. The challenge of antibiotic resistance is real and urgent, and in Pakistan the impact of resistance is profound and widespread. But there was little uptake from the government or the media about antibiotic resistance and public awareness.

In a society where the concept of pathogens is still rudimentary and it is widely believed that pneumonia is due to cold showers or the weather, an understanding of what pathogens are, why antibiotics matter and what happens if you abuse them can make a significant difference.

Our public awareness efforts are prescriptive, whereby we tell society to do something, without really explaining why it matters. The argument often presented is that our population is illiterate or uninterested in science and science is too complicated for them to understand. Well, the reality is that we have never fully tried to explain the problem in ways that people would understand. Jargon free science is both possible and viable. It is also important to motivate young boys and girls to understand that many problems around them have both a real origin and a possible solution, and rational, careful and methodical analysis and approach can make a difference.

An equally important consequence of understanding the scientific basis of our challenges is empowering people with the knowledge that allows them to analyse the government’s decisions, both current and historical. We are eager to analyse the historical decisions in defence and foreign policy, but similar analysis needs to be applied to science, development, health and agriculture policies of the past. Did the government’s decision to encourage widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture create a problem for all of us? If so, how do we ensure that does not happen in the future? Does uncontrolled development in urban areas affect air quality? And perhaps most importantly, we should ask would CPEC mean that there will be more smog (as is the case in China) and more respiratory illnesses? Will more people be wearing masks, akin to a common sight in any major street in Beijing and Shanghai?

The government may not be interested in providing all the answers, but that does not mean that we should not question. Eventually they will respond. Change can happen, but only if we equip ourselves with the knowledge to ask the right questions.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2017.

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