In India, Air Pollution Costs 8% GDP Annually

The latest World Bank report about the adverse affects of air pollution in India is yet another reminder that the country can afford to continue the lackluster approach to the menace at its peril. The study not only underlines the sinister health hazards that the country’s policymakers have been ignoring blissfully, but also reveals that the cost of combating air pollution is much less than the cost to the economy in terms of loss of workdays.

The study that computes the economic costs of indoor and outdoor pollution reveals that China loses nearly 10 per cent of its GDP, India 8.5 per cent and Sri Lanka and Cambodia roughly 8 per cent. Air pollution is the fourth leading cause of premature deaths worldwide behind smoking, diet and obesity and is responsible for over six times the number of deaths caused by malaria.

That China is the worst culprit is hardly any compensation. As another international study by US-based Health Effects Institute (HEI) points out, the death rate from air pollution in India will outpace China’s, as India drags its heels over environmental rules while opening more coal mines. “Chinese actions to control emissions from coal power plants and from industries are considerably more strong than the ones in India,” cautions Dan Greenbaum, president of HEI. China aims to cut coal output by 500 million tonnes, or about 19 per cent of its current annual output by 2020, and reduce emission of major pollutants in the power sector by 60 per cent.

Read the full report @ Indian Express

Check out air pollution forecasts @ India Air Quality. Info