The Global Cost of Air Pollution and India’s Struggle to Breathe Free

By Vivek Saini

Air pollution has quietly become one of the most lethal threats to global health, now surpassing smoking, alcohol, and even pandemics like AIDS in its deadly impact. The 2024 Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report paints a grim picture, revealing that toxic air is robbing humanity of an average of two years of life expectancy. Yet, the burden is far from evenly shared—some regions are suffering far more than others.

India, a nation grappling with extreme levels of pollution, remains among the hardest-hit despite recent strides in air quality. Beyond the devastating health implications, the economic toll is staggering, with billions lost annually in healthcare costs and diminished productivity. This article delves into the AQLI report, highlighting the stark realities facing India and the broader implications for the world.

Global Perspective: A World Choking on Dirty Air

According to the AQLI report, air pollution is now the most significant threat to human life expectancy on a global scale, eclipsing even smoking, poor sanitation, and road accidents. The findings are alarming: if pollution levels remain unchecked, billions of people will face a shorter lifespan, with average global life expectancy continuing to decline.

The burden of this crisis is heaviest in low- and middle-income countries, where weak environmental regulations, unchecked industrial emissions, and rampant vehicular pollution are pushing air quality to hazardous levels. The report underscores the urgent need for action, as the stakes couldn’t be higher—this silent killer is cutting lives short on an unprecedented scale.

The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health also supports these findings, stating that air pollution is responsible for 9 million premature deaths annually, with 92% occurring in low—and middle-income countries. This disproportionate burden on vulnerable populations is a crucial focus of global health experts, who call for urgent policy interventions to curb emissions and mitigate the health impacts.

Regional Hotspots: The Unequal Distribution of Air Pollution

South Asia, Africa, and East Asia are among the regions suffering the highest life expectancy losses due to air pollution. In South Asia alone, life expectancy is reduced by an average of five years due to exposure to high levels of particulate pollution. The report points to countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as the epicentres of this crisis. Industrialisation, urbanisation, and a lack of stringent air quality regulations exacerbate the situation in these regions, leading to a public health emergency.

In addition to AQLI’s findings, a 2021 study published in the journal Nature Sustainability highlights that South Asia houses 42 of the world’s 100 most polluted cities, with air quality often reaching hazardous levels. This geographical concentration of pollution underscores the need for region-specific solutions, including international collaboration to tackle transboundary pollution.

India’s Air Pollution Crisis: Ground Zero for Life Expectancy Loss

The AQLI report paints a grim picture of India, where air pollution has become a severe public health issue. The report indicates that particulate pollution has cut life expectancy by several years in numerous regions nationwide. North India, particularly the Indo-Gangetic Plain, remains the worst affected. In cities like Delhi, life expectancy is reduced by overten0 years due to extremely high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5). Despite this, the 2024 report notes a slight improvement, with a 19.3% drop in particulate pollution in 2022, adding 51 days to the average life expectancy.

However, this improvement is modest compared to the scale of the problem. In 2021, air pollution led to 2.1 million deaths in India, marking the highest toll globally, according to a report published by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), an independent US-based research organisation, in partnership with UNICEF. This alarming figure underscores the country’s need for more robust air quality measures. This statistic underscores the need for more aggressive policy interventions to tackle air pollution at its source, making the audience feel the situation’s urgency.

Arunesh Karkun, Senior Research Associate at Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC), while interacting with CFC India, notes, “Despite the success of certain policy measures tackling household and vehicular emissions, a large part of the decline is attributable to favourable atmospheric conditions over the region. Therefore, any changes in atmospheric conditions will continue to have a sizable influence over regional air quality.” Recent evidence points towards significant health impacts occurring even at low ambient air pollutant concentration levels. The combined implication of these is an urgent need for our policies and regulatory mechanisms to be strengthened further to sustain considerable improvements in air quality. He added that this would involve several measures, including expanding our monitoring networks, building and enhancing the technical capacity within regulators and government agencies, and adopting a regional collaborative approach to air quality management nationwide.

Can India’s Anti-Pollution Efforts Shift the Needle?

India has made strides in addressing air pollution through initiatives like the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce particulate matter levels by 20-30% by 2024. The 19.3% reduction in particulate pollution noted in the AQLI report reflects some success, particularly in cities like Delhi, where stricter vehicular and industrial regulations have been implemented. However, the NCAP has faced criticism for being underfunded and needing more enforcement mechanisms, raising questions about its long-term efficacy. It’s crucial to remember that individual actions, such as using public transport or reducing energy consumption, also significantly reduce air pollution.

“There are several policies, schemes, and programmes in place already that seek to tackle air pollution in the country, but much more needs to be done. The NCAP targets PM10 at the moment, which is far less harmful than the finer PM2.5. This, combined with an absence of technical capacity in local implementing agencies, has resulted in 64% of funds being utilised only to tackle road dust,” says Karkun.

In conversation with CFC India, Parthaa Bosu, Head of Strategy at DFAG, Delhi, points out, “While governmental, non-governmental, and academic efforts have been commendable, challenges such as incomplete regulatory frameworks, source-specific complexities, and systemic issues remain. The absence of standards for toxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) limits our ability to control air pollution.”

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report suggests that while NCAP has helped raise awareness and monitor air quality, its impact is limited with more vigorous enforcement and comprehensive policies. The CSE emphasises the need for multi-sectoral approaches involving agriculture, transport, and energy sectors to create a sustainable reduction in pollution levels, making the audience feel the need for a holistic approach to the problem.

Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Reality

India’s battle against air pollution is far from over. While recent measures have led to some improvements, the country still faces significant challenges in reducing pollution safely. Experts argue that more robust and targeted interventions, including stricter emission standards, better waste management, and investment in renewable energy sources, are needed. For instance, countries like Sweden and Denmark have successfully reduced their air pollution levels through stringent emission standards, waste management policies, and a shift towards renewable energy sources.

Bosu emphasises the multifaceted challenges of pollution management, stating, “Our multifaceted problems have consistently challenged the design of effective policies. In the past decade, sectors like waste and freight management have emerged as particularly problematic.” He highlights that open burning and the surge in consumer waste from e-commerce have aggravated pollution, noting, “While last-mile deliveries in a few cities may be electrified, the congestion they cause can lead to increased emissions from other vehicles. This isn’t solely a transportation issue but a confluence of factors, including our shopping culture, poor urban planning, and disjointed growth.”

“We must acknowledge the need for a green freight & logistics management system and plan for more cohesive urbanisation. Enforcement, the cornerstone of effective environmental governance, has been our Achilles’ heel. While policies and regulations exist, their implementation often falls short. A more robust enforcement regime and stringent penalties for non-compliance are essential to deter environmentally harmful practices,” He added.

To ensure sustainable air quality improvements, Karkun suggests systemic reforms that prioritise health-based mitigation actions, plan for regional airshed management and strengthen regulatory capabilities. This includes moving beyond temporary solutions, like smog towers, and addressing root causes through sectoral transformations, such as improving agriculture practices and public transport infrastructure.

The AQLI report calls for urgent action to ensure that India can mitigate the severe health impacts of air pollution and protect its population from further life expectancy losses. As experts continue to study the effects of air pollution on health, it is clear that without significant policy changes and more vigorous enforcement, the gains made so far may be short-lived. The report serves as a stark reminder of the urgency of this issue, both globally and in India.

Bosu adds, “Any drop in air pollution is welcome, but unless we know what exactly is causing the drop, we are at the mercy of the weather gods.” India’s battle against air pollution will require more than short-term fixes—it demands a long-term commitment to systemic change.

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