Air pollution in Indian cities is at an all time high. Out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, 13 are in India. Last year, the WHO ranked Delhi as having the worst air pollution in the world. Yet the discourse on air pollution has mostly remained closeted in a few charts or at times in press conferences. Out of the 13 Indian cities, only New Delhi has proper infrastructure to measure air pollution levels — and even now, city officials are delaying releasing information.
On President Obama’s recent trip to India, it was calculated that his 3 day trip took 6 hours off of his life — caused by Delhi’s bad air.
The link between climate change and air pollution is also missing from the mainstream discourse. India’s reliance on coal and the massive use of motor vehicles is massively contributing to climate change.
“Here’s why this matters for climate change: The dirty fuels that cause particulate pollution are the same dirty fuels that cause global warming. Cracking down on local air pollution will not only save lives, it will shift the economics of energy toward cleaner sources that produce less carbon.” — Care about global climate change? Then fight local air pollution
In his first review meeting with officials from the the environment and forests department, Delhi’s newly elected Chief Minister asked for ideas to tackle the problem of air pollution. Citizens from across Delhi came up with their unique solutions for the Chief Minister and here are some of them:
Share you own solution online. Follow 350 India on Facebook and Twitter for ongoing updates