Opinion | India can learn from China’s resolve to clean its urban air and help lead the world to a brighter future

The Covid-19 crisis is drawing attention to respiratory health, and in cities with severe air pollution, people may be more vulnerable to the virus. While the world is focused on crisis mitigation, it is important not to lose sight of recurring challenges such as air pollution and environmental degradation. These issues influence society’s ability to adapt to unexpected public health threats such as Covid-19.

The economic downturn inversely illustrates the devastating effects of unfettered industrial production and fossil fuel dependency. For example, India’s nationwide lockdown has led to a reduction in air pollution levels of 90 per cent or more – even in its smog-choked capital Delhi. Similar reductions have been seen in China, according to Nasa data.

How India and China, as rising powers, manage the by-products of industrialisation and agricultural practices will shape this future. Millions of lives per year can be saved.

In the final months of each year, smoke covers cities in the Indo-Gangetic plains from Delhi to Kolkata, prompting complaints about breathing difficulties and forcing the closure of schools and offices.

This acrid shroud is a grim coda to India’s festival calendar, as Diwali celebrations give way to a collective sense of helplessness and anger over the government’s inability to improve air quality.