The air high quality in New Delhi and its surrounding areas has turned hazardous as a dense layer of smog blanketed the Indian capital. A number of components of Delhi recorded an air high quality index (AQI) of 400 and even 450 – a degree thought-about as “extreme” beneath worldwide air pollution requirements.
Each winter, air air pollution in Delhi spikes round this time when chilly air traps smoke and fumes from fireworks, stubble burning and heavy visitors. The disaster is aggravated by vehicular and industrial emissions, large highway mud, building actions and coal and biomass-fired residential heating.
As dozens of Indian cities grapple with “poor” or “very poor” air high quality, per India’s air pollution watchdog, China serves as a mannequin for its neighbouring nation. Beijing, by way of stringent measures and efficient air air pollution management insurance policies, has made a substantial effort to enhance its air high quality whereas additionally reaching spectacular financial progress.
Twenty years in the past, Beijing was topped because the world’s smog capital. China’s momentary emission discount rules for the 2008 Beijing Olympics set the stage for its warfare on air air pollution. With the launch of a five-year nationwide motion plan in 2013, the nation launched a raft of measures, together with the closure of coal-fired boilers, selling public transport and new power autos, accelerating technological reform of enterprises and boosting innovation and inexperienced power.
Particular emphasis was given to slashing the “particulate matter (PM2.5)”. These inhalable particles, equal or lower than 2.5 microns in diameter, are a significant supply of air air pollution and pose the best hazard to human well being over their means to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
Beijing’s efforts, coupled with the institution of an early warning and emergency response system, higher regulation of air pollution actions, relocation of factories from populated areas and incentives for farmers to discourage agricultural burning, made a long-lasting impression, exhibiting a dramatic 35 p.c enchancment in extremely polluted areas by 2017.
Within the following years, Beijing continued its marketing campaign in opposition to air air pollution. Common PM2.5 focus dropped by a half, from 72 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m³) in 2013 to 36μg/m³ in 2019, dropping additional to 29.3μg/m³ in 2024. Though considerably larger than the World Well being Group’s pointers – 5μg/m³ – it nonetheless marked a significant breakthrough in China’s push in opposition to air air pollution.
Regardless of the challenges posed by the pandemic, China sustained its battle for blue skies, rolling out focused air air pollution management insurance policies equivalent to limiting construction-related emissions, deploying clear industrial applied sciences, slicing metal manufacturing, retiring previous vehicles and inspiring the adoption of electrical power autos. The measures paid dividends as China’s capital remodeled from an environmental backwater into an emblematic case of city air high quality governance. Blue skies are certainly again in Beijing, given PM2.5 focus averaged 24.9μg/m³ within the first three quarters of 2025, per the federal government.
The latest enchancment builds on prior good points. In 2022, common annual PM2.5 focus throughout China fell to 29μg/m³, based on Chinese language media, and the variety of days categorised as having good air high quality in 339 cities reached 316 – a progress not many regional nations may match. As many components of the world skilled rising PM2.5 ranges, China’s steep reductions have been so substantial that they single-handedly drove a decline in world air pollution, highlighting the nation’s outsized contribution to enhancing air high quality worldwide.
Unbiased analysis helps the information. Because of well timed authorities intervention, robust coordination between native and central administrations and worldwide monetary establishments, the Larger Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area notched a big achievement. In accordance with the Asian Improvement Financial institution, the area has made main good points in air high quality: between 2015 and 2023, common annual PM2.5 ranges fell by 44.2 p.c, sulphur dioxide by 76.3 p.c and nitrogen dioxide by 34.8 p.c, whereas the share of days with good air high quality rose by 10.3 factors to 63.1 p.c.
Specialists underscore that China’s environmental frameworks have boosted cross-sector cooperation and spurred energetic participation from industries that have been as soon as main polluters. Over time, Beijing has developed the world’s largest and most complete new power industrial chain. Its management in producing renewable power and manufacturing electrical autos positions it on the centre of the worldwide clear power transition, making it an vital actor to fight air air pollution at house and overseas.
With Chinese language gross home product (GDP) rising by greater than 73 p.c between 2013 and 2024 and PM2.5 concentrations plunging to 26μg/m³ within the January-September interval, the nation demonstrates how a constant, policy-driven method can preserve a excessive progress price and nonetheless attempt to ship clear air to its folks. This expertise gives a precedent for India and different nations, pursuing to curb air pollution with out impeding their improvement objectives.
Air air pollution is the best environmental well being danger. It is aware of no borders, exacerbates local weather change, causes financial losses and reduces agricultural productiveness. Even in China, the place three-quarters of cities met their annual PM2.5 targets in 2024, the monster is resurging sharply throughout a number of areas, urging Beijing to accentuate its personal measures and guarantee enforcement.
The size of this problem necessitates strengthening cooperation and sharing finest practices, notably amongst nations in South, Southeast and East Asia which might be worst affected. Being on the forefront of the air air pollution disaster – what China confronted a decade earlier amid fast improvement and urbanisation – India can not afford to be complacent in drawing helpful classes each from Chinese language previous successes and nascent challenges.
By adopting parts of China’s clean-air playbook – from shutting down extremely polluting factories and increasing electrical bus fleets to establishing real-time mud monitoring at building websites and reinforcing interprovincial coordination – India may make significant progress in securing cleaner air and a sustainable future for its folks, whereas advancing its personal improvement and financial progress.
The views expressed on this article are the writer’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
