Relevance: GS Paper III (Ecology and Environment)
Why has this issue cropped up?
Globally, rapid economic and social development has resulted in severe air pollution that kills around 7 million people every year, and India is home to 14 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities.
Lessons from other countries
- In 2013, the Chinese government announced an Air Pollution Action Plan with a PM 2.5 reduction target of 33 per cent in Beijing by 2017.
- Along similar lines, in 2017, the South Korean government also set a target of PM 2.5 reduction by 30 per cent by 2022.
- In China, air pollution prevention and control is the responsibility of the central environmental protection inspector, and special inspections are carried out to strengthen the accountability of inspectors.
- Further, in China, the main leaders of the local governments are the first responsible persons in their administrative regions for the implementation of their pollution reduction plan in a powerful and orderly manner.
What options does India have?
India needs three action measures to begin its journey towards clean air.
- The first is a comprehensive plan and setting of goals.
- The government in had announced a draft of the “National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)”.
- The government finally announced time-bound air pollution reduction targets at the first global conference on air pollution and health in Geneva.
- The second corresponds to another perennial insight from all major programmes and projects: Designating an in-charge, empowered with the due mandate. For example, with air quality goals clearly in place, Delhi now needs an “Air Quality Manager” with a clearly defined mandate and powers.
- There is a need of driving a change in perspective. A view often touted about pollution reduction plans is that they are economically and politically difficult. However, clean air programmes can actually provide significant economic opportunity in areas of technology, business, innovation, and enterprise while addressing the challenges of air pollution.
How pollution reduction plans can provide economic opportunities?
- Both India and China are focusing on renewable energy sources (especially solar photovoltaic) to reduce the air pollution problem. This can provide jobs.
- Further, according to the NITI Aayog report on “Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs): Towards a Policy Framework”, electric vehicles could launch new business opportunities in areas such as battery charging and swapping infrastructure, service, or integrated transport.
- The Bluetech Clean Air Alliance (China) estimates that by 2030, China’s key areas of clean air will usher in more than 3 trillion US dollar market opportunities, and China will continue to be the world’s largest demand market for clean air technology.
- There are several studies globally that suggest an overall positive impact on the GDP, society and political economy upon introduction of EVs in fuel importing service dominated economies.
- The European Climate Foundation has estimated that through reducing oil demand by more efficient electric cars, employment will increase by 5,00,000 to 8,50,000 by 2030.
- In the Indian context, coupled with the generation of renewable power, the battery manufacturing industry in India can become bigger than the total amount spent on import of crude oil, thus providing a huge boost to the Indian economy.
- Even the loss in tax revenue corresponding to the oil sector can be potentially compensated by the tax revenue from other economic sectors.
- So clean air, apart from better health and quality of life, can also bring in higher GDP, more jobs, more business, social benefits and higher tax revenues. It certainly doesn’t look like an economically or politically difficult proposition.
Conclusion
To win the battle against air pollution, India needs a comprehensive action plan for the whole year and not just Diwali.
