Context
Article talks about the perverse effects of air pollution referring particularly to the recently released State of Global Air report prepared by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the Washington University
Observations from the report
- Premature deaths: Polluted air caused 91 early deaths out of 1 lakh Indians in 2015 while China, the world’s most populous country, lost 85 of its citizens
- Globally, there was 60 per cent rise in ozone attributable deaths, with a striking 67 per cent of this increase occurring in India.
- In 2015, long-term exposure to PM2.5 contributed to 4.2 million deaths and to a loss of 103 million years of healthy life. China and India together accounted for 52 per cent of the total global deaths attributable to PM2.5.
- It found that increasing exposure and a growing and aging population have meant that India now rivals China for among the highest air pollution health burdens in the world, with both countries facing some 1.1 million early deaths due to it in 2015.
- According to the report, while 1108100 deaths were attributed to PM2.5 exposure in China in 2015, in India, it was 10,90,400
- Around 92 per cent of the world’s population lives in areas with “unhealthy” air.
- Bangladesh and India, have experienced the steepest rise in air pollution levels since 2010 and now have the highest PM2.5 concentrations among the countries.
- Among the world’s 10 most populous countries and the EU, the biggest increase (14 per cent to 25 per cent) in seasonal average population-weighted concentrations of ozone over the last 25 years were experienced in China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Brazil.
- China, India, Bangladesh, and Japan increases in exposure, combined with increases in population growth and aging, resulted in net increases in attributable mortality.
- Meanwhile, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India had PM2.5 attributable Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) rates that were 5 to 10 times the lowest rates, which were found in the US and Japan.
Source: KSG
Ignorance is not bliss
Author states that governments in India have largely been indifferent when it comes to environmental reports. But the government would be well-advised to not ignore the State of the Global Air report for several reasons.
- GBD Data: The report draws on the Global Burden of Diseases data which is becoming an important tracker of health trends the world over. The State of Global Air Report ranks outdoor air pollution as the third leading health risk in the country
Graded Action Plan
The report comes a month after government announced its plan for a graded response to pollution
- The plan involves upgradation of the Central Pollution Control Board infrastructure and additional monitoring stations within six months
- Roadmap for rest of the country: The plan is intended towards Delhi-NCR region but it will provide a roadmap to the rest of the country
- Including Ozone: Author states that the plan should take into account a new pollutant mentioned in the report i.e. Ozone, as the increasing rate of Ozone-related deaths are alarming. The report notes a 148 per cent increase in ozone-related deaths since 1990
- Ozone monitoring stations: Graded action plan should establish ozone monitoring stations as a first step towards addressing Ozone-related pollution
Read More: You can read the report here, GBD
