Beicology: Believe It or Not, Beijing's Smog Levels Are Enviable ... For India

Nine million fatalities. That's the alarming new worldwide total for 2015 determined by the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health and the Institute for Health Metrics, which drew a connection between those deaths and pollution. Their findings for China were also quite grim, with China's proportion of pollution-related deaths reaching the study's upper tier of 15-20 percent (as you can see on the dark red shade on the map below). Bad as that is, fellow rapidly developing nation India's totals were worse, reaching the highest 20-27 percent bracket (as seen in the darkest shade on the map below). Of the 9 million worldwide deaths, 6.5 million were linked to air pollution, making smog the paramount environmental issue when it comes to health.

Yet a new CNN article about the study details China's promising improvements in that regard, with more than a little help from accurate air quality readings set up at the US Embassy in Beijing, of course. "It became a very powerful bottom-up influence that I think factored into the Chinese government's decision to do something – they're actually taking major strides in China to control air pollution now," Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, one of the leaders of the study, told CNN. The piece, overall, makes for a compelling read about the grim prospects that pollution poses for China and the rest of the world, along with an inspiring account of China's recent history of tackling smog head-on, along with policies enacted in the West that could very well be a blueprint to further success.

Speaking of seeking out role models in that regard: a successful Indian author says his nation has plenty to learn from the Middle Kingdom when it comes to improving air quality. In an article for the publication Scroll India ahead of the launch of his "air pollution handbook" titled Choked, author Pallavi Aiyar describes how "Beijing’s policies are showing the way."

In the article, Aiyar points to his nation's "lack of coordination on the regional level" to enact pollution-fighting policies, something that he says Beijing, Hebei, and Tianjin have had far greater success with than, say, New Delhi and its neighbors. Another key factor is India's lack of an "inflection point," a la the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, which put enough worldwide attention and pressure on the PRC to begin changing its approach to pollution policy.

A few years back, we interviewed several New Delhi residents to ask how their pollution levels – which are far more dire than Beijing's overall – impact their daily lives. And unlike the Chinese capital – which has seen a proliferation of breathing masks, air purifiers, AQI monitors, etc. – those living in New Delhi deem such accessories to be rarities. One young mother said, during an interview: “[While there's a] growing awareness among the upper classes – many are buying filters and masks, and some have already moved their families out of Delhi – the vast majority of people are aware, but either resigned or indifferent.”

Another interviewee shared the sentiments that Aiyar would go on to write about, telling TBJ: "I realize that because of a lack of pressure from abroad, Delhi doesn't feel the urgency to take care of its reputation," he said. "There is no sense of responsibility whatsoever. And maybe China wants to show the world that they are willing to change. As opposed to India, which is preoccupied with local nonsense.”

Hopefully, studies like the one recently reported on by CNN will help raise that required pressure and awareness, so that those suffering – be it in New Delhi, Beijing, or anywhere else – can avoid the fate of the fatalities outlined in the pollution report.

Images: Times of India, Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health and the Institute for Health Metrics