Outdoor air pollution in India is not only an urban problem

Ravishankara, A. R.; David, Liji M.; Pierce, Jeffrey R.; Venkataraman, Chandra

doi:10.1073/pnas.2007236117

Cited by 90 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Worldwide, air quality-related health hazards are reckoned among the most critical concerns in urban habitats, which calls for strategic detection and monitoring of temporal and regional air pollutant dynamics so as to devise cost-effective remedial measures (Cetin et al, 2019 ). In India, air pollution has been a perpetual concern to public health (Bera et al, 2020 ; Ravishankara et al, 2020 ). A recent assessment titled “Global Burden of Disease Study, 2019,” estimated 1.67 million deaths in 2019 (17.8% of the national total death) owing to air pollution alone, incurring an estimated loss of about USD 36.8 billion (1.36% of national GDP) (Basu, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban greenery for air pollution control: a meta-analysis of current practice, progress, and challenges

Chaudhuri

Kumar²

2022

Environ Monit Assess

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Most governmental initiatives in India, to leash down urban air pollution, have yielded little results till date, largely due to purely technocratic vision, which is shrouded by technological, economic, social, institutional, and political hardships. We present this reflective article on urban greenery, as a proposition to urban authorities (e.g., pollution regulators, environmental systems’ managers, urban landscape planners, environmental policy makers), shift from purely technocratic way of thinking to thinking with nature , by strategic greening of urban spaces, for long-term air pollution prevention and control measures. To that end, we offer a meta-analysis of recent (post 2005) global literature using four-stage PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach. We open the narrative by briefing about main pollutant filtration mechanisms by trees, followed by cognitive aspects of species selection (e.g., deciduous vs. evergreen, air pollution tolerance index, environmental stressors). Till date, most Indian studies on urban greenery mostly but focused on physiological aspects of trees. Here, we draw attention of urban authorities to an equally compelling, but yet less explored, aspect: design criteria, with reference to two most common urban configurations, namely, street canyon and open road. With pictorial depictions, we enumerate various categories of street canyons and discuss aspect ratio (building height to street width) and various wind flow regimes (isolated roughness, wake interface, and skimming), that the urban authorities should be cognizant about to maximize pollutant removal efficiency. For open road, we discuss vegetation barriers, with special emphasis on canopy porosity/density functions. In the final sections, we reflect on a potential systems’ thinking approach for on-ground implementation, comprising of revamping of urban forestry programs, research and development, community mobilization and stakeholder engagement, and strategic outreach. In addition, we emphasize on means to harness co-benefits of urban greenery, beyond mere pollutant removal, to garner support from urban residents’ communities. Last but not the least, we also caution the urban authorities about the undesirable outcomes of urban greenery that will require more process-level research. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10661-022-09808-w.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban greenery for air pollution control: a meta-analysis of current practice, progress, and challenges

Chaudhuri

Kumar²

2022

Environ Monit Assess

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“…There are many inconsistencies between philosophy and actual practices in Hinduism (Shinde 2011;Tomalin 2004). Despite numerous environment-friendly practices and deep underpinnings of environmental sensibility, India, where Hindus are the majority, is facing serious environmental problems, such as immense air pollution (Ravishankara et al 2021;Sathe et al 2021), the mismanagement of hazardous solid waste (Karthikeyan et al 2018), etc. Without bridging this gap, a motivation of environmental care cannot be developed in society.…”

Section: What To Do With These Concepts For Addressing the Global Changementioning

confidence: 99%

A Reinterpretation of Hindu Spirituality for Addressing Environmental Problems

Awasthi

2021

Religions

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Global environmental change is a serious threat to our existence and requires immediate actions from every dimension of our efforts. The cultural pathway has much potential to address environmental problems because it is expected to promote environment-friendly behavior in people. However, its implementation on the ground requires a wise coordination of the cultural and scientific ways of thinking. Hinduism has great potential to embrace environment-friendly behavior due to its receptivity to change and tendency of adopting and theologizing new developments. However, due to the presence of a wide gap between theoretical philosophy and actual practices, the potential of environmental sensibility, inherent in Hindu spirituality, could not be harnessed. Here, I reinterpret the key concepts of Hinduism in the light of modern scientific wisdom for their synchronization with current challenges. I identify some solutions for promoting environment-friendly practices in Hinduism through the coordination of science and culture.

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“…Asia's two biggest growing economies countries, China and India, are contributing high emissions of anthropogenic aerosols to the atmosphere in recent decades, deteriorating environmental air quality, and threatening human heath (Davidson et al., 2005; Kang et al., 2019; Ravishankara et al., 2020). Despite being located remotely, the BC concentrations in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are notable that could be facilitated by long‐range transport from neighboring regions (Chen et al., 2018; Kaspari et al., 2014; Kopacz et al., 2011; Lüthi et al., 2015; Ming et al., 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing Atmospheric Anthropogenic Black Carbon and Its Potential Radiative Response Over Pan‐Third Pole Region: A Synoptic‐Scale Analysis Using WRF‐Chem

et al. 2022

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The Pan‐Third Pole contains the largest number of glaciers outside the polar region that plays a crucial role in atmospheric circulation and the hydrological cycle. However, this pristine region has undergone rapid change through complex interactions including the black carbon (BC) enhanced warming effect and glacier melting. Study shows, Weather Research and Forecasting coupled with Chemistry (WRF‐Chem) simulation is able to capture distinctive seasonal variability of BC. The result from our sensitivity experiments revealed that South Asia (SA; 60.7%) and East Asia (EA; 32.9%) contributed more toward the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Our analysis on aerosol‐boundary feedback interaction revealed BC expand planetary boundary layer height by 5.0% and 4.8% over SA and EA, respectively, which facilitates BC dispersion and transportation. Whereas, we also found that under the influence of different wind regimes the significant BC transport flux aloft over the TP and the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Additionally, mountain‐valley channel and synoptic and local meteorological processes also facilitated BC transport to the TP. This study also evaluated the effect of BC on direct radiative forcing and calculated subsequent temperature changes. A strong dimming effect of BC corroborated with the following negative surface temperature changes. However, enhanced BC concentration during winter and spring caused the increase in temperature over the TP. Here, the WRF‐Chem model, synergy on aerosol‐boundary feedback, BC transport flux, and source‐receptor methods confirmed the significant BC contribution and transportation, and notable BC‐induced warming over TP. Such trans‐Himalayan BC transport and associated warming could grim glacier melt and water availability in the region.

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Outdoor air pollution in India is not only an urban problem

Cited by 90 publications

References 24 publications

Urban greenery for air pollution control: a meta-analysis of current practice, progress, and challenges

Urban greenery for air pollution control: a meta-analysis of current practice, progress, and challenges

A Reinterpretation of Hindu Spirituality for Addressing Environmental Problems

Tracing Atmospheric Anthropogenic Black Carbon and Its Potential Radiative Response Over Pan‐Third Pole Region: A Synoptic‐Scale Analysis Using WRF‐Chem

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