Dr. Manoj Jain explains how experiencing Delhi’s air pollution during a visit earlier this month raises the alarm about this growing crisis and especially the link between climate change and air pollution throughout the world and especially in his home-town of Memphis, Tennessee.
“It’s Jan. 1, 2016, and I just landed in New Delhi, India, for a medical conference. The city of 16 million, like any other city, has large factories, miles of concrete structures, traffic gridlock and millions of cars spewing pollution. And today, like every winter day, the city is covered with a dense smog or fog — I am not sure what it is.
The air is heavy. My teenage son complains, “Dad, my throat burns … we can’t see beyond a few hundred meters … there is no fresh air.” Everyone seems to have a cough. It did not used to be this way. As a medical student, I did a two-month overseas rotation in New Delhi and enjoyed the sights, the air and the city life.
New Delhi is not alone. Air pollution in other cities from Beijing to Los Angeles has come to unacceptable levels, despite the latter making significant strides. It was ironic that on Nov. 30, 2015, when the Paris climate change conference began, Beijing had the worst air pollution “smog day” of the year, forcing outdoor school activities to close and construction work to suspend…” The Commercial Appeal. Read it on delhiair.org.
delhiair.org - be informed and active about air quality in New Delhi, India 