In the News
May 28, 2019
India’s horrendous urban air quality has been much talked about. In 2018, WHO estimated that Delhi’s average PM10 concentration for 2010-2016 was 292 µg/m³. Beijing in comparison – despite its infamous air quality – was at 92.
The WHO’s annual average safe limit for PM10 20 µg/m³. Beyond this people can suffer from minor breathing issues to fatal respiratory diseases, cardiac disorders and the risk of various types of cancer.
An analysis by the medial journal Lancet Planetary Health confirmed the correlation when it attributed the deaths of 1.24 million Indians in 2017 to air pollution. A study by the University of Chicago in 2018 warned that the life expectancy for Delhi’s residents had dropped by up to 10 years.
These are shocking figures. The country also posted a 4.8% rise in carbon emissions in 2018. The news comes when climate scientists are urging that all countries, and especially the major economies, slash their emissions to stave off catastrophic climate change.
Thankfully, urgent calls for action on both fronts have led to two major policy announcements: the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) – notified in January 2019 – and India’s target of 30% EV sales by 2030. Both target a nationwide crackdown on emissions, and as studies suggest, will complement each other perfectly.