Air is the atmospheric combination of gases and humidity acting as a protection for the earth from getting extremely hot or excessively cold. If we take a trip down memory lane back to our childhood days, we would be enjoying evenings in public parks with our friends, swinging under giant banyan trees, running around them playing hide & seek. During vacation time, we would have a memorable get-together with our relatives in coconut groves & farmhouses. Scientifically speaking, we inhaled pure air with fewer pollutant levels during those days. We were less likely to be prone to respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis, etc.
Once again, if we look back to our springtime of life- our schooldays- almost all the roads on the way to school were bordered by enormous trees giving pleasant air, shelter to birds, and shade during summer. Unfortunately, we don't see that visual nowadays.
The prime cause for the ever-increasing pollution is rapid industrialization. In the current scenario, humans tend to commercialize products without paying attention to the effects they would have on our surroundings. We lack permissible air quality levels in many parts of the world. The atmospheric air now consists of aerosols emitted from pollens, dust, and harmful greenhouse gases like methane, carbon monoxide which induce ozone depletion. Along with these, there are regenerating gases due to animal breeding, landfills & dump yards polluting the atmosphere to the maximum possible extent.
Animal life faces a huge threat living amidst pollution. Animals are prone to acute cardiovascular diseases and the development of coronary artery diseases. Particulate matter in the air leads to cardiac arrests in animals. Research studies show that household pets suffer an increased risk of tumors when exposed to polluted air.
Another major threat to the Earth is global warming, emerging as a by-product of air pollution and animal breeding. It occurs because of the extreme burning of fossil fuels and chlorofluorocarbon usage, which results in higher temperatures and air pollutant levels. It influences the melting of snow and icecaps, decreasing the animal shelter counts in the polar areas.
Apart from all these, polluted air is the chief cause of smog production. We all are aware of New Delhi's air pollution rate, where the prime causes of air pollution are found at peak levels. This is due to the primary industrial pollutants like CO2, NO2, CO, SO2 emitted in high concentrations. To bring down the rate of this tragic situation, the Delhi government advised people to stay at home to save their lives.
Air quality is measured by the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) along with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) under National Air Monitoring Program(NAMP) spread over 240 cities of the country. The benchmarks for the admissible pollutant levels & safe health are set up by the CPCB in India. Although citizens residing there are patients of fatal diseases, the air quality report after Diwali 2020 was alarming. The air quality right to the day after Diwali ranged between "severe" and "hazardous" to breathe and fatal if inhaled for long periods.
The worldwide Air Quality Report issued by IQAir brings forward a startling truth that 22 out of 30 most polluted cities of the world are situated in India. However, Delhi's air quality increased by 15% from that of 2019. Despite the recovery, Delhi ranks 10th among the world which is detrimental for the residents and animals. According to the report, the top most polluted city in Xinjiang in China is followed by nine Indian cities. Ghaziabad is the second most polluted city in the world.
The truth in the report is that only 24 among 106 countries met the air quality standards for PM 2.5 recommended by WHO in 2020 that lead to unrestricted emission of PM 2.5 into the atmosphere. As claimed by the IQAir report, it is true that average levels of PM 2.5 in India have reached a considerable decline compared to 2019, but must not give us any relief. Due to the partial shutdown of industries and transportation sectors that emit fossil fuels, almost about 60% of Indian cities were breathable. However, many South Asian countries and primarily China faced PM 2.5 pollution greater than threshold levels recommended by WHO."The transportation sector is one of the major contributors to India's leading PM2.5 emission sources across cities," the report said.
We have to gear up right now to counteract the effects of air pollutants in the atmosphere. If not, it is sure that every human will hurry to reserve oxygen cylinders along with LPG to live on earth. Reduced production of heavy crude oil decreases air pollution drastically. Switching from solid fuels to cleaner fuels controls indoor air pollution primarily caused in kitchens.
Vehicle engines designed for uncontaminated fuels like hydrogen must be encouraged and brought into use. Providing solar panels on the terrace in tropical climatic regions could reduce the fossil burning power plants worldwide. Using legume crops or pastures in the fields lessens the need for NO2 fertilizers. The byproducts from the industries released into atmospheres should be filtered more extensively than now. Lowered use of private vehicles run by fossil fuels will result in an assured increase in high air quality. Increasing forest cover in all the countries for at least 60% of their landmass will bring tremendous change in the air quality patterns & boost pure air levels. Switching to a plant-based diet will decrease the quantity of animal breeding which is one of the leading causes of methane production causing greenhouse emissions.
It is the right time to get into action to revitalize air quality to acceptable levels that would help all living creatures lead a healthy life. Let us try our best to bring back the days of our pleasant childhoods with a green cover of plants and trees all around us and aim for a better world for all of us!
Written by
Deekshitha M K
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