About the event

A recently released WHO report states that air pollution exposure is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths globally every year! It further elaborates that almost all of the global population (99%) breathes air that exceeds WHO guideline limits. Further, the combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution have increased mortality rates from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.

In a bid to support countries to address air pollution, WHO has recently released stringent air quality guidelines, lowering the recommended levels of pollutants that can be considered safe for human health. The new guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations by reducing levels of key air pollutants, some of which also contribute to climate change. The goal of the guideline is for all countries to achieve recommended air quality levels, but the reality is far-fetched.

Will all countries and regions struggling with high air pollution levels be able to adapt to these guidelines?

In this Let’s Talk Policy session, we catch up with environmentalists Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science & Environment; Jyoti Pande Lavakare, Co-founder, Care for Air; and Bhargav Krishna, Fellow, Centre for Policy Research to understand how different regions will be impacted.

The event was moderated by renowned journalist, Nidhi Razdan.