The government of India has taken steps to reduce air pollution in Delhi by staggering the rate as which vehicles can enter the city. The move is similar to ones taken by the Chinese government in Beijing. The likelihood is that India will have to do more in the future than China will to curb horrible air pollution.
According to a new study by Greenpeace, India had a worse air pollution problem than China did in 2015. In “Clean Air Action Plan: The Way Forward,” the authors wrote:
Greenpeace analysis of satellite-based particulate matter measurements over the past decade shows that China’s systematic efforts to combat air pollution have achieved an impressive improvement in average air quality in the country in the past few years – although pollution levels remain alarmingly high. In contrast, air pollution levels in India, and in particular North India, have risen rapidly, with 2015 being the most polluted year on record.
As a result of dramatic improvements in China and continuing deterioration of air quality in India, 2015 was the first time that the average Indian was exposed to more particulate pollution than the average Chinese. However, China’s example shows that India, too, can turn the tide on pollution with determined measures.
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The data largely support those of a study by the WHO, which gathered information from 1,600 cities in 91 nations. Cities in India had among the worst air pollution in the world, in many cases well ahead of Chinese cities.
The Greenpeace study offered no single practical solution to the problem. Its authors only suggested policy changes, most of which involve national governments increasing the monitoring of air pollution and setting targets to drive improvements. None of that has happened so far. The Chinese and Indian economies rely on industries that produce heavy air pollution, and many people among their populations need fuel, much of it coal and wood, that makes the matter worse. In light of those facts, nothing will change.
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