Sky obscured by thick gray smog. Monuments and skyscrapers engulfed by a layer of mist. People who have trouble breathing.
In the Indian capital, it’s that time of year again.
The city’s air quality index fell into the “very poor” category on Sunday, according to SAFAR, India’s leading environmental monitoring agency, and in many areas deadly particle levels have reached about six times the global security threshold.
NASA satellite images also showed that most of the plains in northern India were covered in heavy haze.
Among the many breathless Indian cities, New Delhi tops the list every year. The crisis worsens particularly in winter, when the burning of crop residues in neighboring states coincides with cooler temperatures that trap deadly smoke. This smoke is moving towards New Delhi, causing increased pollution in the city of more than 20 million people and exacerbating what is already a public health crisis.
On Saturday, the New Delhi government ordered schools closed for a week and construction sites for four days starting Monday. Government offices have also been asked to work from home for a week to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.
New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said a full city lockdown was likely, but the decision would be made after consultation with the federal government.
India’s pollution problems are not limited to the capital.
Emissions from industries lacking pollution control technologies and coal, which helps generate most of the country’s electricity, have been linked to poor air quality in other areas urban.
India’s energy needs are expected to grow faster over the next few decades than in any other country. Part of this demand is expected to be met by polluting coal-fired power stations, a major source of carbon emissions that pollute the air.
That’s why, on Saturday, India called for a last-minute change to the final deal reached during crucial climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, calling for ‘phase-down’, not ‘elimination progressive ‘of coal-fired power.
Indian Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav opposed a coal phase-out provision, saying developing countries have “the right to responsible use of fossil fuels.”
Many experts have criticized this approach. They fear it may have weakened the final deal and may also hamper India’s fight against climate change and degrading air quality.
“It’s not at all desirable,” said Samrat Sengupta, program director for climate change and energy at the New Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment. He also added that India needed sufficient ‘carbon space’ in the atmosphere to meet its development needs and coexist with the global ambition to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since the time. pre-industrial.
“The phasing out of coal is technically impossible at the present time. Neither scenario can predict that India will have no dependence on coal by 2050, ”Sengupta said.
Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the country will attempt to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070, two decades after the United States and at least ten years after the China.
India’s coal reserves have a high ash content, resulting in inefficient combustion and increased air pollution. But millions of Indians depend on coal for their livelihood.
“In our country, it is the only means of subsistence for many. If foreign countries say we must stop using coal, then what will we eat? Said Hari Ram, a coal trader.