Air pollution in India has emerged as a pressing public health concern, according to concerns from Congress leader and former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. The urgency for a holistic approach to the ban on stubble burning lies in an all-inclusive measure according to the report of Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, as said by Ramesh. “Short-term fixes like the stubble burning ban cannot be a panacea, he added. Instead, he recommends major structural changes in India’s energy, transport, and environmental laws that cut pollution and enhance public health.
Air Pollution’s Impact on Public Health
The Lancet Countdown report provides a bleak outlook on air pollution in India. According to the report, it was estimated that in 2021, India lost about 1.6 million people due to air pollution. The report outlines the death toll attributed to the burning of fossil fuels, like coal and liquid gas, to be 38%. These fuels have the health implications of causing serious issues by the emission of particulate matter, with the smaller diameter particles of PM2.5 being the one that reaches deep inside the lungs.
India is one of the biggest emitters of PM2.5 in the world. In 2022, it contributed 15.8% of the world’s consumption-based PM2.5 emissions and 16.9% of production-based PM2.5 emissions. Ramesh emphasized that these figures spoke to the need for a more sustainable and less polluting economic model.
Vehicle Emissions: An Increasing Problem
Ramesh also stated that stubble burning, which is perceived to be one of the major causes of air pollution in Delhi, has actually decreased. According to NASA’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), stubble burning has decreased by 51% between 2018 and mid-October 2024. Additionally, data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) reported that stubble burning accounted for only 0.92% of the PM2.5 levels in Delhi between October 12 and October 21, 2024.
Ramesh is able to clarify how air pollution in Delhi, which exceeded 60 % of all PM2.5 by emissions during the same time period, mainly consists of vehicular emissions.
Well, needless to say, this isn’t all great because emissions from vehicle loads heavy concentrations of PM2.5 that ruin air quality, threatening greater health problems.
Renewable Energy and Electric Cars
He envisages that all major distances would be shifted to renewable and electric vehicles. He blames fossil fuel power and conventional vehicle fuels for the present air pollution. Renewable sources, including sun and wind, may liberate human generations from coal and other polluting fuel dependence.
Other areas Ramesh looks forward to include electric vehicles. If India invests in the infrastructure for EVs and provides incentives for consumers to adopt electric vehicles, it will significantly bring down emissions from the transportation sector, which is dominated today by diesel- and petrol-powered vehicles.
Reviving India’s Environmental Policies
Ramesh called for revising and up-gradation of two significant environmental legislation of the country also. He named the Legislation as The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981, and National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 2009. He claimed that these Acts were highly significant but also outdated, hence could not be suited for the country’s contemporary levels and nuances associated with air pollution.
Based on Ramesh, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 should be remodeled because of health dangers due to air pollution. Implementing updated National Ambient Air Quality Standards would be put into place in more realistic and stringent standards that make the achievement of clean air protect citizens’ health.
Health Effects of PM2.5
Of the air pollution components, the most dangerous is PM2.5 because of the minute size of fine particles making them by-pass the human bodies’ natural defense mechanisms that go through to the inner most layers of the lungs hence inducing respiratory and cardiovascular effects. The increased mortality effects as seen with prolonged exposure and those with long-term health ailments like asthma, bronchitis, and other health-related diseases to the respiration systems.
The report has found PM2.5 levels quite alarming in Delhi. For instance, between October 16 to October 22, 2024, the average PM2.5 level in the city shot up from 104 µg/m³ to a concerning 168 µg/m³ much above the recommended levels by the World Health Organization. This is a reflection of the fact that India still grapples with challenges of urban air quality management.
A Call for Immediate Action
Ramesh said more than symbolic and temporary fixes are needed for India’s approach to addressing air pollution. He called for “a structural rethink of the Indian economic model that gets sustainability at its core”: investment in renewable energy sources, encouraging electric vehicles and public transportation networks.
This is the message by the former environment minister. Air pollution is one of the biggest public health issues India has ever faced and, hence, should be addressed in a priority manner by policymakers. Immediately comprehensive measures to deal with the root causes of air pollution must be created to make India’s population healthier.
Conclusion
The Lancet Countdown report, in conjunction with the newly released pollution data of Delhi, is a graphic reminder of the health burden posed by air pollution to India. Ramesh’s recommendations form a pathway through sustainable energy, updated legislations, and policies focussed on public health: The immediate need for drastic actions in India to confront an increasing air pollution emergency in this country is pretty apparent.
Source: Information compiled from a statement by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh based on The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report and additional pollution data from IITM and NASA’s VIIRS reports.