Opinion Why the health of children should be at the core of any pollution policy

In yet another reminder of the severity of the problem, the State of Global Air (SoGA) Report 2024, released this week, shows that air pollution has become the second leading global risk factor for death. More alarming is the finding, which drew on data from 2021, that air pollution is the second leading risk factor for death among children below the age of five, with 709,000 out of 8.1 million of those who died that year belonging to this demographic. For India, where 2.1 million died due to air pollution, according to the SoGA report, the statistics are sobering: With 1,69, 400 of those dying being children under five, the country recorded the highest total number of deaths in this category.

For over two decades now India’s air pollution has led to much hand-wringing, especially during the winter months when a thick layer of smog blankets a vast swathe of the country. Action, however, has mostly taken the form of piecemeal panic-induced measures, like spraying water to minimise dust on the roads and imposing the odd-even scheme for vehicles. Even with the adoption of clean air plans by most cities, the failure at the policy level to link pollution with public health has meant that the long-term damage it can cause has not received adequate attention. The heaviest price for this oversight is paid by the most vulnerable, especially, as is clear now, by children. They inhale more air per kilogram of body weight and absorb more pollutants compared to adults. With their lungs, brains and other organs still developing and their body’s defence mechanisms still relatively weak, exposure to pollution sets them up for ailments like asthma, upper respiratory tract infection, childhood leukaemia and high blood pressure.

Advertisement

Still, there is hope. The report notes that since 2000, the global death rate linked to air pollution, among children under five, has dropped by 53 per cent. This is mainly the result of expanding access to clean energy for cooking, improved healthcare access and nutrition as well as building awareness. The measurable impact of implementing stricter air quality policies and encouraging the shift to hybrid or electric vehicles in Africa, Latin America and Asia also holds lessons. With 42 out of the 50 most polluted cities in the world and where a 2022 study found that even municipal employees — who should be among the frontline workers driving the change — had little awareness of air pollution’s link to cancer and heart diseases, the challenge for India is steep. To face it, the health of its citizens, especially the young, must be at the heart of any solution.