Clean air for blue skies: Let’s act before it’s too late | Lucknow News

United Nations General Assembly in 2019 adopted September 7 as the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. Recent global developments of US withdrawing from climate change global mission, geo-political war fronts and economic manipulations giving emergence to new power games are taking our attention away from the more serious area of concern that the devastation process consequent to clean air deficit and climate change has already set in. Nature has the inevitable capacity to re-emerge in its own way and that is beyond human control. The whole biosphere is witnessing a beginning to its own end.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s highest authority on climate science, in its latest report says we now know how to prevent the worst impacts of climate change; just that we need to act urgently, effectively and equitably to protect our planet. In the report, the scientists have warned the world that we have 12 years to limit the climate change catastrophe. Let us be clear about it that all these distortions have their roots in the path of economic development that human beings have adopted over the last century; life styles that have not proven to be eco-friendly due to wastage and unbalanced allocation of resources between the haves and the have-nots which has caused economic, social and environmental stress.The way issues of environmental displacements have emerged overtime, we require enhanced global diplomatic efforts to bring all countries on the same page. There is also a need to create robust funding options by developed nations for facilitating the developing countries to switch to energy efficient and sustainable options which they are unable to implement due to scarcity of resources. The countries which can make a difference are still not doing enough to catalyse this change towards energy efficiency and we are repeatedly missing our targets. The rising temperature of the earth is setting off a vicious cycle. The whole ecosystem is then getting affected in terms of the loss of micro-organisms and the earth is losing entire species causing gaps in the delicate balance of nature. Global warming is causing unpredictable weather, rising sea levels, attrition in water resources, melting glaciers and so on. There is no doubt that only a cause and effect-based mitigation in a decentralised manner holds the key to sustainability. The Stockholm conference during its golden jubilee edition first time talked about the health of our planet. It is high time the leaders deliver their climate related promises, in the interest of people and the planet.Coming to India, we have 10 times more pollutants of various grades compared to developed countries. This is majorly due to our lifestyle. Indians are already known to suffer from 30% weaker lungs due to the polluted air we breathe. The issue of clean air, therefore, must assume as much significance, if not more than the basic necessities of ‘Roti’, ‘Kapda’ aur ‘Makaan’ and the millions of aspirational material belongings for which we crave. Whatever policies or laws the government may legislate; and it has already done so with respect to vehicles, construction, industrial emissions, green cover in the country, agriculture waste management and so on; it is amply clear that unless civic society makes it a grassroots movement, success in this domain will continue to elude us. Simply for the sake of an awakening call, we must be aware that 51% pollution is emitted by our industries, 27% by vehicles, 17% by crop burning and 5% by fireworks. We can no longer afford to ignore this stark threat looming over us. Change in monsoon patterns, weather cycles, biosphere degradations, man-animal conflicts, emerging health emergencies are the clear writings on the wall which we are still ignoring to a large extent.On the subject of human survival and health, data in public domain reveals that life expectancy has actually declined by 6-12 years in various regions of the world varying according to the intensity of pollution. The death toll too has gone up by 30%, solely due to air pollution, due to which as many as seven million people die globally every year. Similarly, public health has deteriorated, particularly amongst the older generation and children. Children are particularly susceptible to air pollution as established by a research study done by Lung Care Foundation, which states that 30 % adolescents suffer from asthma in Delhi, which is among one of the world’s worst polluted cities. Ailments such as obesity, asthma, heart problems and other related diseases have also drastically gone up. In Uttar Pradesh, cities like Kanpur, Lucknow, and Varanasi frequently rank among India’s most polluted, with PM2.5 levels exceeding WHO safety limits. During winter, crop residue burning in rural areas worsens air quality, while urban centres struggle with vehicular and industrial emissions. Slums and overcrowded settlements—prevalent in Uttar Pradesh—trap both pollutants and TB bacteria, creating a dangerous cycle. This is more than just statistics—it’s a public health emergency affecting millions. As per the Global Burden of Disease Report 2019, over 61% of total deaths in India were due to the Non-Communicable Diseases including the above and air pollution is established as a major risk factor for these. Pollutants like PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide, emitted from vehicles, industries, and biomass burning, penetrate deep into the lungs, causing inflammation and weakening the body’s ability to fight infections.It is evident that our passion for economic growth at all costs has compromised nature’s capacity to protect and sustain a robust environment. The breakneck speed at which we are extracting and consuming natural resources and energy is increasing pollution levels and release of hydrocarbons much beyond the self-sustaining capacity of Mother Nature. The international framework required to align efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and ending the era of fossil fuels need to aim at non-proliferation, equitable phase down and a fair transition away from fossil fuels, towards renewable energy. Sluggish expansion of capacity and technology for non-conventional energy sources is another example of human failure in controlling environmental damage. The constant pressure for growth is compelling the corporate sector to be expedient and use half-baked technologies which are financially lucrative, providing partial solutions but actually end up accentuating environmental problems. Thus, it is becoming impossible to maintain a balance in our environment and ensure sustenance of earth’s ecosystem. One of the glaring examples of the challenges to sustainability till the recent past has been the policy of commercial exploitation of forests and wild life. It is only in recent years that civic society and scientists have raised an alarm highlighting the calamity facing us and the speed at which it is hurling towards us. Air pollution cannot be seen in isolation as ‘everything hangs together’. Non-living components of environment include things like soil, air and water; while the living components are plants and animals. The prime consumers are humans who have an insatiable appetite to consume thereby resulting in destabilising our ecosystem.The action points to counter pollution mainly include-greening the habitat; encouraging walking & cycling as well as the use of public transport, segregating waste at source and converting it to manure. Further actionable points at the cutting-edge include reducing and recycling plastic waste, encouraging use of natural biodegradable and earthen materials for making sustainable products. Sensitising children and the younger generation is most critical as this is a long-term battle and coming generations must be aware and vigilant on environmental issues. Last but not the least we must focus on asserting as well as supporting government initiatives to implement laws that support environmental health, adopting available technology to minimise carbon footprint, saving electricity, adopting solar options, electric vehicles and evolving innovative ways in collaboration with all stakeholders. Taking cognizance of the research study on ‘Air Pollution and Obesity, Asthma and Allergic Diseases’, the National Green Tribunal, in Sept 2021, had directed all states to form State Action Plans for clean air, and had asked the Central Pollution Control Board to provide guidance and support for the same.Need of the hour is to focus our responses on all areas causing environmental degradation based on R&D, to help restore bio-diversity imbalances. Basing our actions on half-baked knowledge and merely branding ourselves as ‘environmentally responsible’ is the biggest disservice we can do to our future generations. Nature will anyways restore its balance even at the cost of human lives and habitats. Let me end it up with a quote from Barrack Obama who said, “We are the first generation to realise the damage to the environment; We are the last generation to do something about it.” Let’s be the last generation to take faster and better actions now before clean air and blue skies turn into a myth.(The writer is a former IPS officer and patron of Lung Care Foundation)