Reduced air pollution during COVID-19: Learnings for sustainability from Indian Cities

Q1 Social Sciences
Purnamita Dasgupta , Kavitha Srikanth
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引用次数: 23

Abstract

Air pollution has been a widespread and visible concern, that has increased significantly over the last decade across many parts of India with severe consequences for human health and well-being. The Indian government, as in many other countries, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by enforcing a variety of restrictions on normal activity, including complete lockdowns that led to severe disruptions in economic activities. A beneficial short-term effect on the natural environment across cities was a significant reduction in air pollution. The pandemic and its management, have brought home the interconnectedness between nature and human existence with renewed understanding of the complex linkages between the economy and the environment. This presents a unique opportunity to integrate air pollution management into plans for economic recovery. This paper empirically examines the impact of imposing a 27-day lockdown on air pollution in India by comparing pollutant concentration data from 8 representative cities over matching periods of time during the lockdown with those of the previous year, and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This provides an opportunity to understand the maximum extent to which air pollution could potentially be reduced in these cities. Thereafter, these findings are analysed in conjunction with city level socio-economic correlates and current air pollution management strategies, to gain policy insights on the scope for integrating improved air quality with economic recovery for a sustainable future. With city action plans having been recently prepared for improving air quality, this is indeed an appropriate time to conduct analyses to impact and bend the curve of air pollution substantially. Additionally, as winter approaches, there is a possibility of a double burden of mortality and morbidity from worsening of both COVID-19 and air quality. The current focus on public health provides an opportunity to concentrate on the management of air pollution as a critical component of public health management.

2019冠状病毒病期间减少空气污染:对印度城市可持续发展的借鉴
空气污染是一个广泛而明显的问题,在过去十年中,印度许多地区的空气污染显著增加,对人类健康和福祉造成严重后果。与许多其他国家一样,印度政府对COVID-19大流行的应对措施是对正常活动实施各种限制,包括全面封锁,导致经济活动严重中断。对城市自然环境的短期有益影响是空气污染的显著减少。大流行病及其管理使人们认识到自然与人类生存之间的相互联系,并重新认识到经济与环境之间的复杂联系。这为将空气污染管理纳入经济复苏计划提供了一个独特的机会。本文通过将封锁期间8个代表性城市的污染物浓度数据与前一年的匹配时间段以及国家环境空气质量标准(NAAQS)进行比较,实证研究了实施27天封锁对印度空气污染的影响。这为了解这些城市可能减少空气污染的最大程度提供了一个机会。随后,将这些发现与城市层面的社会经济相关性和当前的空气污染管理战略结合起来进行分析,以获得关于将改善空气质量与经济复苏相结合以实现可持续未来的政策见解。由于最近已经制定了改善空气质量的城市行动计划,现在确实是进行分析以大幅度影响和弯曲空气污染曲线的适当时机。此外,随着冬季的临近,COVID-19和空气质量的恶化可能会造成死亡率和发病率的双重负担。目前对公共卫生的关注提供了一个机会,使人们可以把空气污染的管理作为公共卫生管理的一个重要组成部分。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Global Transitions
Global Transitions Social Sciences-Development
CiteScore
18.90
自引率
0.00%
发文量
1
审稿时长
20 weeks
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