Would you believe if you were told the very air you breathe could become a silent killer? No, we are not talking about the coronavirus. Though the deadly virus spreads through the air and has wrecked mass devastation around the globe there is another deadly cause imminent that can shut down our entire planet.
It is none other than air pollution. Though, since school
years to public awareness messages to social media publicity, the causes and
dangers of air pollution is not an unknown topic, society still has not risen
to the occasion to tackle this giant threat.
Deadly Numbers
Some act on air pollution as a problem with futuristic
solutions when air pollution has already claimed many lives over several years
and needs a solution now. In 2018 alone, 9 million people died because of air
pollution according to various studies conducted.
This figure is far more massive, almost 4 times to be
precise than the amount of covid deaths that have occurred so far. The very air we breathe daily is filled with
many toxins that can cause and have already caused several deaths.
The Cause
It is not new knowledge that the burning of fossil fuels is
one of the most prominent causes of air pollution. The burning of coal, oil,
and gas, in other words, fossil fuels which the world runs on for energy not
only causes global warming making the clock tick faster on doomsday but also
produces toxins.
These toxins are released into the air and inhaled by living
things creating irreversible damage to the lungs, heart, etc, and cause many fatal
diseases like cancer, strokes, and low mortality rate.
The most dangerous of these toxins are those with particles
sized below 2.5 meters which can get past our respiratory systems filters and
defenses. The particles have a greater chance of penetrating deeply into our
organs and cause diseases.
Studies have shown that in India, air pollution is the third
cause of the highest number of deaths, with over 1 million deaths per year.
From the list of most polluted cities in the world, 22 of them are in India,
Delhi being the number one as the world’s most polluted capital.
In 2020 there were 54,000 deaths in Delhi caused by air
pollution. The situation is so dire in India that one can say a child dies
every three minutes in India from air pollution.
Even though the pandemic acted as a speed breaker and paced
down carbon emissions, as the world gets back on its feet, the emissions will
rise back up leading to more deaths.
Another cause for the heavy pollution in Delhi and some
other cities in India is from an agricultural practice known as
stubble-burning. This burning of excess straw to clear the fields produces an
insane amount of smoke contributing to pollution.
This smoke mixes with fog and spreads over several miles
across cities adding to the risk. Though many legal reforms have been
undertaken to curb these practices they have not been able to put a complete
stop to this.
Some studies have come up with claims that high air
pollution can be a catalyst for higher coronavirus cases, making it even more
dangerous to live. Research conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research
has confirmed that air pollution is a contributing factor for low life
expectancy.
The Weapons for the Battle
The Delhi Government has taken new measures to help bring
air pollution under control. This includes policies on fuel change, planting
more trees, promoting electric transport and bio-decomposers.
Around the world, more governments and businesses have
started searching for and applying alternate ways of energy, production, etc.
The main alternatives revolve around renewable sources of
energy like wind, solar and hydro. Innovations like solar window glass,
transparent solar glass can turn large skyscrapers into their own energy houses
in the future and bringing us one step closer to breathing better air and
saving our planet.
There have been some proud Indian innovations as well that
have taken us one step further in beating this menace. A Delhi-based company
Chakr Innovation invented a filter for diesel generators that collect soot and
enables to make paint and inks. India’s first solar ferry ADITYA is another
great innovation NavAlt Solar & Electric Boats that have changed avenues of
transportation.
Other modern-day innovations in business like sustainable
production methods, ink made from carbon produced from car filters, paint that
absorbs impurities and cleans the air, algae air filters are all leaps made by
humans that create promising hope for a better future.
As the population rises along with our consumption and
lifestyle it is the need of the hour to help develop more policies and
innovations and make them mainstream across the globe that can help prevent the
very air we breathe to become our killer as well.
Written by – Sreya Sara Binoy
Edited by - Akanksha Sharma
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