New Delhi’s pollution crisis is a lesson to the world: politicians blowing hot air are not the solution to climate change
- Elected leaders have preferred to play the blame game over severe pollution in India’s cities, especially the capital
- This should show the world that political sloganeering is not the answer to an increasingly inhospitable climate
After Delhi’s air quality dipped further, the AAP temporarily reinstated its “odd-even” scheme, under which cars with licence plates ending in an odd number were only allowed on the streets on odd-numbered dates of the month while cars with even-numbered licence plates could only run on even dates, with some exceptions. The scheme has run several times since 2016, proving ineffective or, at best, a short-term fix.
While other politicians accuse the AAP of not taking the pollution crisis seriously and of vilifying farmers, long-term solutions have yet to be discussed. The arguments between the AAP and other parties – in some cases, long Twitter battles — have been vitriolic and futile.
For example, a member of parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked why the Delhi government hadn’t allotted funds for water sprinklers to minimise air pollution due to dust, with the central government, led by the BJP’s Narendra Modi, then having to step in with funding. Another BJP member of parliament said: “Earlier, the chief minister coughed alone. Now, the whole of Delhi coughs with him. The only thing he has given to Delhi for free is pollution.”
