Experts At COP29 Climate Summit Urge India to Handle Its Air Pollution

If there is one thing most Indian metro cities in India face during winter it’s the concerning air pollution. Delhi on Wednesday hit the severe mark on the Air Quality Index, and the experts at COP29 Climate Summit are taking notice of it. 

At the COP29 Climate Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, experts concluded that short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) are the main reason for air pollution in the capital and other metropolitan cities. They urged India to come up with initiatives that help in reducing these pollutants from the atmosphere. Short-lived climate Pollutants are a group of greenhouse pollutants that result in instant warming and degrade the air quality. Methane and black carbon come under this category and are commonly found in the Indian atmosphere.

Zerin Osho, Director of the India Programme at the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD), and Durwood Zaelke, President of IGSD, come forward with some initiatives to help limit the emission of these SLCPs. According to Durwood, half of the warming is caused by these SLCPs, and they are responsible for the uneven monsoon patterns.

 These pollutants indirectly impact crop cycles, informal labour, and food security. Osho disclosed that India’s informal sector lost an estimated 34 million jobs due to extreme heat waves that plagued the country this year. “SLCPs contribute directly to rising heat stress and irregular rainfall, impacting not only local farmers but also global food chains,” Osho said.

“If we address SLCPs, we can achieve fast cooling effects and buy critical time to mitigate longer-term CO₂ emissions,” Durwood said, and Osho suggested, “An air shed approach allows for coordinated policies across regions that share climate characteristics, thus enabling more effective SLCP control.”

Osho said, “India is the only developing country with a dedicated cooling action plan, demonstrating its commitment to reducing SLCPs.” However, she pointed out that India needs to market these plans. They need to implement their plans across multiple states instead of one state at a time.

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