Air pollution won't just choke India's lungs; it will also crush its stomach, say experts
Air pollution won't just choke India's lungs but also crush its stomachs, say experts
PM 2.5’s job profile seems to be undergoing a change.
From choking India’s lungs, it is all set to be promoted to starving the country’s already ill-fed stomachs.
“Air Pollution in Asia and the Pacific: Science-based Solutions” — released at the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) first global conference on air pollution and health in Geneva — is a scientific assessment of how rising particulate matter (PM) levels could impact monsoons adversely, thereby leading to a drought and consequently, a famine.
How does it work?
“Monsoon rains are considered to be the main source of water for arable land in India and Pakistan. The unpredictable nature of the monsoon can cause extensive financial losses, the destruction of farmland and damage to livelihoods and property. Increasing air pollution levels over these monsoon regions can alter long-term rainfall patterns. The presence of PM 2.5 in the atmosphere may affect precipitation patterns during the summer monsoon season. For example, a weaker trend in the Indian monsoon precipitation and a north-south shift in precipitation in East Asia have been observed and linked to changes in the emissions of particles and other pollutants from within and outside Asia,” the report says.
“However, some parts can also witness high precipitation depending on the topography. Pollution will also impact the duration and distribution of rainfall,” says Nathan Borgford-Parnell, science affairs adviser at Climate and Clean Air Coalition, who co-authored the report, at the release.
Even as we write this, the National Capital Region (NCR) is engulfed in a depressing smog and the PM 2.5 levels in the Air Quality Index (AQI) are currently hovering between 250 and 350 — this translates to levels that could be “Very Unhealthy” (levels between 201 and 300: Health warnings of emergency conditions).
The entire population is more likely to be affected to “Hazardous” (levels >300: Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects).
To put it in perspective, air quality is considered unhealthy when AQI values rise above 100.
The newest killer on the block
Smokers can now take an extra drag off that cigarette, and take a deep breath — or not. An average non-smoker is at an equal mortal risk as a smoker. The Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said that air pollution kills the same number of people as tobacco consumption does — 7 million across the globe annually. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) report, however estimates annual mortality at 8.9 million globally.
That makes air pollution more lethal than tobacco consumption.
The question now is — where does one post the warning of "injurious to health" in the air?
Is humanity taking its last few breaths?
Apparently, yes. The report says that 91 percent of the world’s population breathes the air with pollution levels way above levels that the WHO considers satisfactory and safe.
With nine Indian cities finding a place of honour (not) in the list of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, we might very well be the first ones to perish.
If the above facts have still not shaken you, maybe this will: It is not just you who will die breathing this toxin we call air — your children may perhaps predecease you. The WHO report has ranked India on the top of the list of countries which recorded the highest mortality of children below the age of five owing to their exposure to ambient air pollution of PM 2.5.
In 2016, 60,987 children under the age of five died in India because of their exposure to PM 2.5, followed by a large gap, Nigeria recording 47,674 deaths, Pakistan with 21,136 deaths and the Democratic Republic of Congo with 12,890 deaths. Between 5 and 14 years of age, India saw 4,360 children dying of air pollution in 2016.
Early 2018 saw India being ranked 177 among 180 countries on the Environmental Performance Index 2018. In the categories of environmental health and air quality, India performed exceptionally. We made it to the bottom of the former list and third from bottom in the latter list — no mean feat!
Time for action besides establishing unity?
While these facts and figures might have shaken you up, one wonders what will shake the government out of its reverie. Is it not time the authorities took a more serious outlook on the issue and cracked down far more severely on polluting industries, the automobile sector, construction companies and the agriculture sector for burning stubble? Perhaps it is planning to do just that once it gets free after unveiling statues that reportedly flout environmental norms after asserting apparently that "air pollution might be harmful, but is not a killer".
But before you raise a finger at the government, remember that the Prime Minister was recognised for his "environmental leadership" on the global stage with a Champions of the Earth Award institued by the UN (yes, the very same organisation that released the report that has left you shaking) less than a month ago.
Wait! Hold that gasp! It just might be the last breath you take.