INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
By Eric Roston and Andre TartarThe sixth-biggest cause of death globally is small-particle pollution, chemical specks that enter the lungs
and can contribute to cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer, and infections
It led to more than 4 million deaths in 2016
comes from industrial facilities, especially coal-burning power plants
In India, PM2.5 comes not only from cars and coal-fired power stations, but also from widely used domestic cookstoves and the common
power plant, increased the number of street sweepers in the capital region to combat dust, and started an initiative to mechanize the
releasing air quality measurements taken at the American Embassy in Beijing, embarrassing their host nation
Traditional news outlets and social media have provided dramatic updates on what some of the worst air in the world looks and feels like
This attention to the problem, along with the worsening pollution itself, pushed Chinese authorities to begin addressing the challenge
Power plants switched from coal to natural gas; low-pollution zones were established in and around Beijing; stepped-up inspections led to
tough penalties for noncompliant polluters
As a result, for days, sometimes weeks at a time, when the rain falls or the great winds blow, Beijing sees the sky.
While leaders are
struggling to fix the systemic causes of bad air, people can take steps to protect themselves
There are herbal medicines that purport to clean the lungs, as well as food, cosmetics, and beverages that claim to counter the effects of
Keeping windows closed and running an air conditioner have been shown to cut the influx of dirty air indoors by half
The soot-thick air hangs over northern India during the winter, dramatically exacerbating the cloud of toxins already spewed by power
Both nations pledged in the 2015 Paris climate agreement to reduce the intensity of their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
according to Bloomberg NEF.
Clean-air policies have had a dramatic impact on pollution in the US and Europe since the 1970s
