Clean policies needed to tackle air pollution

One child in seven inhales toxic air which takes toll on brain. About 300 million children live in areas so polluted it can cause serious physical damage to them, warns a new UN study.
Children are more vulnerable because their lungs, brains and immune systems are still developing. The pollutants easily find passage through their respiratory tracts. As kids breathe twice as fast as adults and take in more air than their body weight, the impact of toxicity multiplies. “Air pollution is a major contributing factor in the deaths of around 600,000 children under five annually,” says Anthony Lake, executive director of UNICEF.
Recently, a study indicated that 90 percent of the world’s people were breathing contaminated poor quality air. Another study by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) warned that air pollution would lead to 9 million premature fatalities by 2060.
Toxic air is causing a host of deadly diseases. Its ripple effect on economy is getting pronounced too. Air pollution already costs 0.3 percent of GDP and could
increase to one percent in the next four decades.
With such massive fallout on health and economies, the situation calls for expediting measures to tackle primary sources that trigger air pollution namely vehicular exhausts, industrial emissions and burning of solid wastes. This ‘Frankenstein’ makes it imperative for the policy makers to ensure that the coal culture is abandoned and investment in clean technologies increased.
The urbanization plans have to be devised in such a way that they factor in environmental sustainability. Innovative transport models that aim at energy-
efficiency will go a long way in making the cities healthier. Outdoor air can only get clean when businesses adopt green practices. Technologies that make solid waste recycling cost-effective will also depollute the environment. Tackling air pollution will reduce the economic burden. It will also reduce the carbon footprint.
Today, the tiny particles called PM2.5 are the new villains. These are hitting children and adults alike. They enter the bloodstream and endanger lives. These miniscule monsters will make the fight against filthy air tougher in the days to come. And therefore, it is important that more research goes into unravelling their precise
nature and the widespread threat they pose.
The world leaders would be meeting in Morocco from November 7-18 for climate change talks. The growing damage caused by toxic air should figure prominently in their discussions. Air pollution-related child mortality needs urgent attention. Toxic air’s drag on economies also calls for serious thinking. The decisions taken during these discussions have to be translated into concrete action. The talks must help all stakeholders create markets for clean energy and invest in renewable energy projects. The economies have to move away from fossil fuels. Ending government subsidies for polluting fossil fuels are crucial to bring the carbon dioxide down and to improve the air quality.
The battle against air pollution doesn’t have a short-cut. It will be long-drawn -out and we have to fight it till the end with patience. After all, it is a matter of our children’s healthy future.