India’s Clean Air Summit gets underway

With the highest level of air pollution in the world, this week’s ICAS is focused on how India can improve air quality and tackle the climate crisis. 

The fourth annual India Clean Air Summit got underway this week at the Radisson Blue Atria hotel, in the city of Bengaluru, the country’s high tech industry powerhouse. 

Environmentalists, ecologists, scientists and activists descended on the address for the event, which began on Tuesday 23rd and runs until Friday 26th August. This year’s programme is largely focused on calling for an integrated approach to reducing air pollution and tackling climate change.

The commonalities and key benefits from framing both as interconnected crises will be highlighted, with an emphasis on the atmospheric impact of transitioning to clean energy. The conference is organised by the Center for Air Pollution Studies at the Center for Science, Technology, and Politics (CSTEP), with domestic policymakers and technologists also attending. 

India currently registers more air pollution-related deaths per year than any other country, with 2022 seeing conditions exacerbated by a lengthy heatwave that increased power demands through high levels of air conditioning use. Despite this, in July the government issued a statement denying any linear relationship between air pollution and mortality, despite increasing scientific evidence highlighting a strong connection.  

Closer to home, the Air Quality News National Conference will take place at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, on 9th November 2022 – tickets are currently available. Revisit highlights from the Northern edition, held in central Manchester in May. 

Image: Umang S