According to the World Health Organization, the top ten most polluted cities in the world are all located in India. A combination of vehicle emissions, agricultural techniques, coal-burning power plants, deforestation and different types of waste have resulted in such terrible air quality that the air pollution in India is considered a humanitarian crisis and one of the biggest contributors to global warming and climate change.

Twenty-two percent of India’s population, or 270 million people, are living below the poverty line. The poor do not have access to proper sewage draining or trash disposal, leading to contaminated water and large landfills. One such landfill, called Ghazipur, is over seventy acres large with almost ten million tons of waste that reaches more than ten stories high. These landfills contribute to the poor air quality and global warming by decreasing oxygen levels and releasing methane into the atmosphere. India is also the second most populated country in the world with an estimated population of 1.3 billion people and 60 to 70 million motor vehicles in use. Cars and other modes of transportation release pollutants including nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. To make room for new crop fields and other agricultural needs, people in India often burn existing land. Fires release large amounts of carbon dioxide, lowering air quality and contributing to global warming. The Indian National Thermal Power Corporation is the world’s leading coal-plant developer and seventy-eight percent of the country’s energy is provided by coal-powered factories. Carbon dioxide emissions from the plants in India is expected to increase to over 1.16 million metric tons by 2026. Over the past three decades, over 1400 kilometers (15,310,586 yards) of forest have been destroyed in India. Deforestation contributes to poor air quality because when there are less trees, there is less water vapor being released into the atmosphere. Water vapor helps keep the atmosphere balanced and when there are fewer trees to release it, global temperatures rise. Trees also take in carbon dioxide and “breathe” out oxygen and when there are less trees, the CO2 flows to other parts of the Earth, including the atmosphere. Finally, e-waste is also a large part of air pollution in India because of lack of regulation and improper recycling techniques. An estimated 2.7 million tons of e-waste is produced every year in India and many villages have turned to recycling the piles of electronics. However, the methods used by villagers, mostly due to little or no access to proper equipment, release harmful chemicals into the air, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead. These mineral particles, after being broken up by hammers, can travel hundreds to thousands of miles with the potential to cause cancer or chronic illnesses.

If left unhelped, there are many consequences that can arise from the air pollution in India. The chemicals and greenhouse gases from the various pollutants, when released into the atmosphere, are able to travel anywhere on the planet, potentially leading to harmful reactions such as acid rain or cancer-causing particulates that are a risk to human health. The air contamination from India is also a significant contribution to rising global temperatures resulting in climate change. The speed in which global warming takes place is greatly affected by the amount of greenhouse gases that is pumped into the atmosphere. Global warming can lead to a higher occurrence of natural disasters, higher acidity levels in oceans and higher wildlife extinction rates. India is one of the many countries on Earth that are contributing to global warming through air pollution, however, a decrease in India’s air pollution would make a big difference in the overall quality of air around the world and make a monumental difference in the lives of people in India.

With support, India’s air quality could be greatly improved and the country could drastically change its techniques in order to lower the amount of greenhouse gases being put into the environment. To achieve this, India needs to use less coal to create electricity by shifting to renewable energy sources, such as hydro, wind or solar power. With better air quality-which means less smog-Indian people could be more willing to walk between destinations instead of using carbon dioxide emitting vehicles. A system could also be put in place to educate rural farmers about safe, effective agriculture techniques that do not include the slash and burn methods. Deforestation would decrease if India instates a law that requires for every tree removed, a new one is planted, and also that large portions of forest be banned from being cut down, in order to allow the new seedlings to grow and develop. Finally, for e-waste and other types of excess, India could educate the general public about how to appropriately dispose of e-waste and create certified recycle sites. As for other types of excess, including trash and human waste, India could build proper sewage systems and put more emphasis on recycling; both of which would especially benefit the lives of the poor.

Multiple factors contribute to the air pollution in India and there are potential consequences if action is not taken, however, there are available solutions and India could become a leader in the fight against global warming and improve the lives of their people.

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