Air Pollution and Climate Change: Understanding the Connection (Part - I)
We are often highly cautious about the food we consume, carefully checking expiration dates and nutritional labels. Yet, when it comes to the air we breathe, we tend to overlook its quality, even though it directly affects our health every moment. This neglect is alarming, as air pollution and climate change stand among the most critical global environmental challenges, intricately linked through shared causes and overlapping impacts.
Air pollution, driven by harmful substances such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx), not only diminishes air quality but also disrupts the Earth’s energy balance, significantly contributing to climate change. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is a leading global health risk, causing approximately 7 million premature deaths annually. Shockingly, 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds WHO's recommended air quality levels, with the highest exposures observed in low- and middle-income countries.
Household air pollution is an equally pressing issue. Worldwide, 2.4 billion people rely on polluting fuels like wood, coal, and animal waste for cooking and heating, leading to toxic indoor environments. This results in 3.2 million premature deaths every year, predominantly affecting women and children in poorer communities.
Urban populations and vulnerable communities bear the disproportionate burden of air pollution, emphasizing the critical need for robust policies that promote clean energy alternatives, enforce emission reductions, and safeguard public health. Addressing these challenges requires a collective global effort, focusing on sustainable practices to secure a healthier and more equitable future for all.
Air Pollution and Climate Change: A Dual Threat
Air pollution and climate change are interconnected global crises, each exacerbating the other and creating a cycle of environmental and health challenges. While air pollution directly affects the quality of life, climate change alters the earth's ecosystems, amplifying the impacts of pollution. Understanding the connection between these two issues is critical to addressing them effectively.
The Broader Climate Connection
Climate change and air pollution are deeply interconnected, stemming from common sources such as the burning of fossil fuels, industrial emissions, and agricultural practices. Climate change, characterized by the long-term rise in global temperatures—currently about 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels is driven by the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). These gases not only trap heat in the atmosphere, intensifying global warming but also contribute to harmful air pollutants such as ground-level ozone and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).
Pollutants like black carbon further connect air pollution with climate change; black carbon, a short-lived climate forcer, absorbs sunlight and accelerates warming, especially in regions like the Arctic. Similarly, methane, which is 28 times more effective than CO₂ at trapping heat, exacerbates climate change while contributing to air quality degradation. In India, the third-largest GHG emitter globally, these challenges are magnified by rapid urbanization, energy demands, and practices such as stubble burning. Addressing the broader climate connection requires integrated strategies to curb emissions, improve air quality, and mitigate the cascading effects of global warming.
How Climate Change Is Making Air Pollution Worse?
The world is trapped in a dangerous loop where climate change fuels environmental disasters, and those disasters, in turn, worsen the problem. In 2019-2020, the bushfires in Australia raged out of control, not only because of rising temperatures but because of prolonged droughts and extreme heat, conditions intensified by global warming. These fires released massive amounts of carbon and particulate matter into the atmosphere, further accelerating the climate crisis. The fires themselves are a direct consequence of the very forces they exacerbate.
Elsewhere, in the Arctic, the unprecedented heatwave in 2020 accelerated the melting of permafrost, releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. In India, the water crisis in Bengaluru worsens as erratic monsoons, fueled by rising temperatures, cause severe flooding and water shortages. Similarly, in Delhi, stubble burning in neighbouring states, combined with extreme heat, has created a deadly haze that chokes the city. In addition, extensive construction activities and dust from unpaved or poorly maintained roads further contribute to particulate pollution. These dust emissions, often left uncontrolled, mix with vehicle exhaust and industrial pollutants, significantly worsening air quality and posing severe health risks to residents.
This interconnected web of events highlights how climate change and air pollution feed into one another. Fires, floods, and extreme weather events all contribute to a worsening climate crisis, releasing more carbon and pollutants into the atmosphere, which in turn fuels even more climate-related disasters. The cycle must be broken before the consequences become irreversible.
Yet beyond global patterns and scientific data, these challenges unfold in ways that are far more immediate and personal. Nowhere is this intersection more visible than in India, where the battle against air pollution has evolved into both an environmental and human crisis. The next part will explore deeper into how this silent threat seeps into everyday life across the country, transforming cities and villages alike into battlegrounds for cleaner air and a sustainable future.
Authored By - Mijul Saxena, Shivani Rani and Anurag Bajpai
Reviewed By - Sandeep Narang and Neeraj Kumar
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