Are We Heading to An Airpocalypse?

We, Indians, came to doom and gloom to know that the most polluted capital of the World is Delhi in recent times. Also, India ranked third as the most polluted country after Bangladesh and Pakistan. Most of the cities in India are also following the same trend more or less. The condition of air of other countries, especially the poor ones, is alarming, too. It seems that we are heading to airpocalypse, an apocalypse caused by air. Some people apprehend that we are accelerating the Sixth Mass Extinction. If we look back to the history of evolution, it will tell us that the average time gap for all the five Mass Extinctions, world has experienced so far, is 60 to 80 million years. The last Mass Extinction took place 65 million years ago, when all the gigantic creatures like dinosaur disappeared from the World. The time has come for the sixth one as per the trend.

Then what to do?

Like other problems, let's understand at first what air pollution is. The basic principle behind air pollution is burning things. Burning wood, crops, paper, coal, oil, gas anything, generates some small particles, which when we breath into our lungs, affect the respiratory and cardiovascular system badly including COPD, Asthma, Heart Disease and Cancer.

The root of the problem and the key to the solution, both, lie in this very basic principle.

Now let me take some examples from the past for the brighter side.

We know that the First Industrial Revolution took place in England in 1760s (of course, with the plundered wealth of Bengal and the free labour of Africa), when James Watt improved the efficiency of steam engine by introducing condenser in the system, converting the steam to water and reusing it. The use of coal increased many folds and London had to pay a heavy price for this.

The AQI of London was tottering between 350 to 450 at that time. When the Second Industrial Revolution took place in 1870s, the simultaneous use of coal, oil and gas led the AQI of London to cross 600 mark. Whereas the AQI of present Delhi is as bad as of London during the First IR (i.e. between 350 to 450).

Now let me take another example of Beijing. Its air quality attracted more attention to the Western media than anything else when it hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. The city was rightly labeled as the poster boy for global air pollution by the media at that time. It hosted the most polluted Games in history.

But, if you go to London or Beijing now, you will see clear blue sky is smiling there. The AQI level of both the cities has come down to less than 10.

It took some longer time for London (due to its historical background of IR), but took only 14 years for Beijing, to bring down the AQI drastically to the relieved sigh of their citizens.

There was no magic. Only logic was there.

Both the cities utilized three tools: a conscious and demanding citizenship, the money and political will.

In the recent COP 29 at Baku, Azerbaijan, one of the eight critical issues discussed, was Climate Finance. The leaders were fighting over amount, not over its imperative.

Hence, money won't be a problem for us.

We only need awareness.

It will create demanding citizens and political will, in turn.

Then for what are we waiting!!!

London has done it. Beijing has shown it.

Now it's turn of Delhi.

If India can't, then who can?

Air Pollution