China and India can work together to curb air pollution

The simmering groundswell of voices urges emerging economies such as China and India to take the lead in addressing global issues. But there are deeper imperceptible challenges at home that demand immediate and greater attention from China and India. Air pollution is one such challenge as it has dangerous implications for public health, especially in metropolises such as New Delhi and Beijing.

According to the State of Global Air Report 2017, issued jointly by the Health Effects Institute (Boston) and Health Metrics and Evaluation (Seattle) on Monday, long-term exposure to PM2.5 (inhalable particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less) contributed to 4.2 million deaths across the world in 2015. And China and India accounted for 52 percent of the total deaths attributable to PM2.5.

The number of deaths for India had stayed below that of China by roughly 100,000 since the early 1990s. But while the number for China has "stabilized", it continues to increase in the case of India.