Earth Day 2025: Raising Awareness for Air Pollution in India
Every year on April 22nd, citizens and activists around the world celebrate Earth Day. Since the first year it was held in 1970, Earth Day participants have urged others to take action against climate change in an effort to preserve and save our planet before it is too late. Among the many environmental problems that the world faces, one of the most deadly to human health is air pollution. Air pollution contributes to an estimated 7 million deaths each year due to inhalation of fine particulate matter from the air (Air Pollution, n.d.). As the most populous country in the world, with an estimated 1.46 billion people, India’s population is disproportionately at risk of death due to air pollution. Its immense population, coupled with little to no regulation of air pollution and air quality in the country, has led to India having 21 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities (India, n.d.). While visiting New Delhi with my mother in 2017, I couldn’t help but notice the change in visibility as we approached the city. After spending only two days in the city, our snot had turned black due to constant inhalation of the air pollutants that plague the city. Putting aside the rather unsettling image that this story may have conjured in your mind, my experience brings to light an extremely serious problem. If we had experienced symptoms of poor air quality after only two days of being in New Delhi, what were the people who lived in the city all year experiencing? After learning about air pollution in my environmental science classes, I couldn’t help but apply what I’d learned to what I experienced in India in 2017.
India is one of the world’s most polluted countries, and New Delhi is the world’s most polluted capital city (India, n.d.). As India’s population grows and people continue moving into already densely populated cities, infrastructure and energy production in these areas have had to develop quickly and efficiently, which often has environmental tradeoffs. Accordingly, as India developed its infrastructure, its pollution levels rose with its increasing population size. From 1998 to 2021, India’s annual particulate matter pollution levels rose by about 67% (Country Spotlight, n.d.). During this time, the average life expectancy in India was reduced by 2.3 years, largely as a result of increased pollution levels (Country Spotlight, n.d.). Now, an average of 5.3 years is taken off the life of the average Indian due to PM 2.5 air pollution levels that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 5 µg/m3 by over 10 times (Country Spotlight, n.d.; India, n.d.). In New Delhi, the average life expectancy has decreased by 11.9 years due to poor air quality (Country Spotlight, n.d.). Major sources of air pollution in India include thermal power plants, vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, and home-related activities such as cooking and heating the home (India, n.d.). As these human activities continue to increase without tight restrictions, the air quality in India will continue to worsen and decrease the life expectancies of Indians throughout the country.
The main air pollutant category in India that poses a large threat to humans is PM 2.5. PM 2.5 is a category of pollutants that consists of particles that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. These particles can enter the human body through inhalation, which can then enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body (Stearnbourne, 2024). Short-term exposure to PM 2.5 can lead to bronchitis, asthma attacks, and respiratory issues, while long-term exposure can lead to reduced lung growth in children and premature death, particularly in those with preexisting heart or lung disease (Inhalable Particulate Matter, n.d.). Compared to PM 10, PM 2.5 can cause more extreme and longer-lasting negative health effects. While we often think of air pollution as being an outdoor problem, indoor air pollution can often be more extreme and detrimental to human health. In India, concerns regarding high levels of indoor air pollution are increasingly important due to the use of biomass as fuel for cooking and heating in a majority of Indian households. Homes without proper ventilation are easily contaminated with high levels of PM 2.5 from such burning of biomass. In both cities and rural areas alike, it is of utmost importance to raise awareness of the negative health effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution so that premature deaths and chronic illnesses can be avoided in the near future.
Although the state of air pollution in India seems bleak, there are things that can be done to reduce emissions and the negative health effects of air pollution. On a larger scale, the implementation of scrubbers in industrial power plants can reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants that enter the atmosphere. Energy-efficient and electric vehicles can reduce the emission of carbon monoxide, among other pollutants, that enter the air through these means. While these larger-scale solutions may not be as feasible in India, especially in rural areas with minimal resources, smaller-scale solutions can reduce death and shortened lifespans at the individual level. The use of masks outdoors can reduce the inhalation of pollutants, while the implementation of air purifiers and improved ventilation in homes can reduce the harmful effects of burning biomass indoors for cooking and heating. Finally, increased awareness and education about the current air pollution situation in India can give Indians the information they need to make informed decisions regarding personal protection against air pollution in the country.
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References
Air Pollution - India. n.d. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/india/health-topics/air-pollution
Country Spotlight: India. n.d. Air Quality Life Index, the University of Chicago. https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/country-spotlight/india/
India. n.d. Clean Air Fund. https://www.cleanairfund.org/geography/india/#:~:text=Air%
Inhalable Particulate Matter and Health (PM2.5 and PM10). n.d. California Air Resources Board. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/inhalable-particulate-matter- and-health
Stearnbourne, C. 2024. Air pollution in India linked to millions of deaths. Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. https://hsph.harvard.edu/environmental-health/ news/air-pollution-in-india-linked-to-millions-of-deaths/
Harris, Gardiner. “Delhi Wakes up to an Air Pollution Problem It Cannot Ignore.” NYTimes.com, February 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150215042638/http:/www.nytimes.com/2015/02/1 5/world/asia/delhi-wakes-up-to-an-air-pollution-problem-it-cannot-ignore.html.
