Why are we not screaming at the top of our lungs?

India tops the most polluted list with 10 cities in the top 15 most polluted cities in the world list. 35 Indian cities are in the top 50. And right here at home, New Delhi is the most polluted capital city in the world! This warrants a citizen uproar, yet very few of my peers are even aware of the list despite the news headlines yesterday.

Two interesting points from the report that was released by Swiss organisation IQAir in World Air Quality Report on March 22. First, the report highlights that "air pollution has a massive impact on human health in India." It is the second biggest risk factor for disease, and the economic cost of air pollution is estimated to exceed $150 billion dollars annually. Major sources of air pollution in India include vehicular emissions, power generation, industrial waste, biomass combustion for cooking, the construction sector, and episodic events like crop burning. This is the first time the report has highlighted crop-burning as a source of pollution. And particularly at time when both Punjab, where crop-burning is most prevalent, and Delhi are ruled by the same governing party, Aam Admi Party (AAP). All eyes are on AAP and what they will do to control pollution in the winter of 2022.

The Russian Invasion of Ukraine and its Impact on Climate Change

Aside from the devastating impact of the Russian attacks on the Ukrainians and the resulting death and destruction, the world will see a major impact on fossil fuel consumption. At the moment Russia supplies more that 40% of Europe's fuel consumption in the form of oil, gas and coal for its heat and electricity. This dependence is the number one advantage Russia has over Western sanctions. In a direct response to the invasion, Europe will fast-track the clean energy transition and permanently reduce its dependence on the import of piped gas from Russia. Of course, this can't happen overnight. In the near-term, Europe will turn to other countries for the supply of fossil fuels and in particular, liquefied natural gas from the US. Europe's new efforts also propose to increase the storage of gas. In the long-term, we will see Europe fast track investments in wind, solar and nuclear energy to further reduce its reliance on Russia. Despite the complete ban on new imports of Russian oil, gas and coal into the US, Russia continues to supply other countries, earning close to $700 million a day, according to The New York Times, as it continues to fuel its attack on Ukraine.

Delhi to get 100 EV charging stations by June 27

New Delhi is gearing up to be the EV capital of India! The Delhi government will establish 100 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations by June 27 that will have a total of 500 charging points, of which 71 will be placed at metro stations across the city. The charge for using the station facility will be Rs 2 per unit, which would be the lowest in the country. After the completion of this project, Delhi will have a total of 900 EV charging points. While we have narrowed down on the EV our family will buy this year, there's also a 4 month wait time. The switch over to EV is not entirely smooth. From what I understand, the charging points are meant to be emergency changing facilities, the car would still need to be charged overnight. Which means that not everyone will have the electricity capacity at home. For example, at our home the kB capacity required to overnight charge is 20 kB, but we only have 15 kB capacity. The switch to EV will require a coordinated effort, but one that we are willing to make as a family!