‘Why India’s leaders do not make air quality a national emergency’: Bryan Johnson releases new video from India visit

Johnson questioned why India’s leaders don’t treat air quality as a national emergency. “I loved being in India. My first time. I was shocked by how normalized Indians are to poor air quality. Breathing the air is like smoking multiple cigarettes a day. Yet no one wears a mask or has air filters in their indoor environments,” he wrote.

He went on to question the lack of political urgency around the issue: “The evidence shows that India would improve the health of its population more by cleaning up air quality than by curing all cancers. I am unsure why India’s leaders do not make air quality a national emergency. I don’t know what interests, money and power keep things the way they are but it’s really bad for the entire country.”

See the post here:

I loved being in India. My first time.

I was shocked by how normalized Indians are to poor air quality. Breathing the air is like smoking multiple cigarettes a day. Yet no one wears a mask or has air filters in their indoor environments.

The evidence shows that India would… pic.twitter.com/1Ex8zeS1Ee

— Bryan Johnson (@bryan_johnson) April 8, 2025

With over two lakh views, the video prompted a range of reactions. “True.. post about it daily… may be finally government take some action.. as you are someone who can put some pressure using your social media reach, and also help you grow your presence on social media,” a user wrote. “India has normalised and become accustomed to poverty of all kinds, not just air. they need to bring more out of poverty and into the middle class,” another user commented.

In February, Nikhil Kamath addressed the incident when Johnson had to leave his podcast mid-way. Kamath admitted that he once believed Delhi was the only Indian city grappling with air pollution and that it was mainly a problem during the winter season. However, Johnson’s reaction while recording the podcast in Mumbai’s Bandra completely changed his perspective.