Kolkata may be India’s ‘City of Joy’, but pollution meant residents had little cause for happiness this November. Coverage surrounding India’s air pollution crisis often centres on Delhi. However, the national capital was not the most polluted city this month. This distinction fell to Kolkata, which recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) readings worse than those […]
air quality
How India and Pakistan are fighting the pollution menace
As Delhiites choke on smog, are efforts across the border efforts to make Pakistan “clean and green” bearing fruit? The newly elected Government of Pakistan under Prime Minister Imran Khan had made tackling environmental challenges an election agenda. Since coming to office, Khan has launched his vision for a “Clean, Green Pakistan” – with the […]
Why CO2 will cause a malnutrition crisis in India
Tens of millions of Indians face nutritional deficiencies in the coming decades because of carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, a recent study suggests. Rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are killing crop quality in India. This means commonly consumed foodstuffs in the country, such as rice and wheat, will lose much of their nutritional value. This […]
Guess how many years of your life are taken away by pollution
Most Indian cities have become unliveable thanks to catastrophically high levels of air pollution across the country. While the toll this takes on public health is broadly understood, research has hitherto been lacking on the link between air pollution and shorter lifespans. A new study by researchers at the University of Texas has given a […]
Why is India worst in the world for environmental health?
India’s environmental performance is one of the worst in the world. On environmental health, it’s the worst. A global index places India 177th place in a list of 180 countries ranked on their environmental performance. Only the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh and Burundi place lower. The Economic Performance Index (EPI) measures rankings against […]
75 percent of pollution deaths happen in rural India. Why is it thought of as an urban problem?
Pollution kills millions worldwide every year. In 2015, India witnessed 1.1 million pollution-related deaths. The vast majority of these deaths were borne by the country’s rural population, a new study suggests. “A pan-Indian problem” 75 percent of the 1.1 million pollution-related deaths which took place in India in 2015 took place in rural areas. Exposure […]
Delhi becomes ‘a gas chamber’ as smog is declared a public emergency
‘Delhi has become a gas chamber’ says Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, as smog in the national capital reaches critical levels and leads the Indian Medical Association (IMA) declaring a state of public health emergency. Deterioration of air quality in Delhi in recent days has caused widespread disruption. Junior schools in the city are closed until at least […]
Failed emissions tests killing thousands a year
Failures in emissions tests are killing thousands of people a year. Eighty percent of these deaths occur in just three countries, including India. A recent study of eleven major diesel car markets in Nature found that pollution from nitrogen oxides (NOx) is much higher than car manufacturers have previously claimed. The study looked at countries […]
India facing “an apocalypse” over poor air quality
Over a million Indians a year die because of air pollution, a new Greenpeace report claims. The smog cost three percent of GDP annually, it adds. Greenpeace bases the estimate on official figures. The report – subtly titled “Airapocalypse” – was published on Wednesday, January 11th 2017. Its findings drew upon online reports and information […]