No, India's industrial growth is not contrary to clean air: here's the reason

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Breathing bad: Industrial expansion does not have to leave the air of India even more toxic to fine particles’ pollution, is linked to severe breathing diseases and premature deaths. Summary of India’s economic revival is often seen as a threat to clean air-but growth and sustainability does not have to be a trade-in. An experiment in Gujarat can show the way. The impressive results indicate the potential of a carbon market. India is at an important moment in its economic journey. As a fast-growing economy in the pursuit of developed status by 2047 under the government’s Vikksit Bharat vision, the development strategy is very dependent on rapid industrial growth. However, this growth is often estimated as inevitable at the expense of the weakened air quality. What if this trade -in was not inevitable? India has emerged as a leading voice for low and middle income on climate action, which sets itself an ambitious target to achieve net zero emissions by 2070. The bridging of the gap between economic growth and the reduction of emission requires daring innovations. One such innovation is an emissions trading scheme (ETS) for pollution of particles (PM), launched in Gujarat, a state at the forefront of industrialization. Second, emission markets can be adapted to the needs of low and middle income countries. The flexibility offered is particularly relevant to micro, small and medium -sized businesses to over time and adapt. This enables business units of all sizes to reach regulatory targets. The Surat market was found to function almost perfectly; Industrial plants held enough permits to cover their emissions 99% of the time. By contrast, plants outside this market have at least a third of the time contrary to their pollution boundaries. This approach can be repeated in different geographical areas and used for different pollutants. Based on the pilot’s success, the GPCB expanded the program to cover additional Surat groups and launched an ETS in Ahmedabad in September 2023. Gujarat is now considering assessing the feasibility of an etching for other pollutants such as sulfur emissions. Maharashtra is ready to announce a market for sulfur emissions in five industrial sectors, with similar efforts in Rajasthan and other states. Third, the Gujarat ETS shows for particles how digital infrastructure and big data can enable innovative environmental regulation. It relies on real -time emission data from continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) installed in industrial chimneys, enabling informed decision -making by regulators and companies. Low quality data is penalized by the system, which serves to improve the accuracy and credibility of pollution-critical for effective environmental regulation by an etching. Toxic air represents more than an environmental problem – it is a health and economic crisis. Exposure to pollution of fine particles is linked to severe respiratory diseases and premature deaths. According to the air quality life index, the population of India can get an average of 3.5 years in life expectancy if the country’s air quality meets the guidelines of the World Health Organization. Cleaner air is also a prerequisite for sustained economic growth. A large part of the deaths in India can be attributed to toxic air. The World Bank estimates that lost production from such premature deaths equals 1.36% of India’s annual GDP. India’s national clean air program and the expansion of real-time air quality monitoring is a welcome policy shift: Clean air has become fundamental to India’s economic and human development agenda. The ETS experiment of Gujarat provides a powerful example of how scientific evidence and innovative regulation can combine to help us meet our economic growth and environmental sustainability imperatives. These priorities do not have to be mutually exclusive. Well -designed emissions markets can help India to deliver both goals and the payouts can be considerable. Gargi Pal of J-Pal South Asia contributed to this piece. The authors are environmental engineer and nodal officer, ETS (PM), Gujarat pollution council respectively; and lead, air and water labs, J-Pal South Asia. Catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #indian Economy #Air Pollution #manufacturing Read Next Story