Communication that emotionally engages citizens is crucial to resolving Climate Change
Bengaluru, 25 August 2022. Highlighting the ‘silent deaths’ due to air pollution, Shri K Sudhakar, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education, Government of Karnataka, called for a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing rising pollution levels. Speaking at the inauguration of The India Clean Air Summit 2022 (#ICAS2022), Sudhakar pointed out that cases of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease were much higher in urban areas than in rural areas and attributed this to high levels of pollution in urban areas.
The India Clean Air Summit (ICAS), India’s premier event on air pollution, organised by the Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS) at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), was inaugurated on Tuesday by Shri K Sudhakar along with Ricky Kej, environmental activist and musician, and Smt T Sumathy, Poet and MP (Tamil Nadu). This year, in its 4th edition, ICAS brought together environmental activists, policymakers, industrialists, and students for a range of discussions that look at linkages between Air Pollution and Climate Change and how exploring these dual issues together can reveal important insights for policies.
Speakers and the audience highlighted the need to put people at the centre of policies and technology solutions and emphasised the need for an interdisciplinary approach to tackling ‘wicked’ or complicated problems such as Air Pollution or Climate Change.
‘Climate change is not some vague phenomenon that will happen in the future. Our actions sitting over here are having serious implications for people sitting on the other side of the world,” Ricky Kej pointed out. “We can make meaningful changes with tiny incremental changes in our lives, like saying no to using plastic, using public transport, etc. I feel climate change is a communication problem today – we need to reach people emotionally. It is no longer a question of awareness or knowledge but of how we can convert knowledge and awareness to action – that is the key to addressing these crises,” he said.
Smt. T Sumathy pointed out that Air Pollution can no longer be spoken of as only an environmental problem but a health problem as well. “Air quality and climate change are interconnected with our everyday lives,” she said, adding that solutions for both need to be rooted in sustainability and be practical in order to combat the issue holistically. Shri Sumathy also pointed out the need to increase deployment of air quality sensors in Chennai which would facilitate more and better information to help us tackle air pollution.
Sessions at ICAS2022 were divided into panel discussions and deep dives with experts touching upon pertinent topics like how Air Pollution and Climate Change policies can be integrated to help problem-solvers develop more comprehensive solutions to problems.
On day 2 (24th Aug), Shri Srinivaulu (IFS), Member Secretary, KSPCB pointed out that the current situation of pollution and climate change was purely due to ignorance. “Changing our behaviour perception can lead to an overall change in how we perceive and act in a situation as well. It is important to remember that when it comes to our family, we act urgently. And so, acting to protect ourselves from air pollution and climate change also needs to be localised and informed by local solutions,” he said.
Srinivaulu added that it was time to change the narratives as well. “Along with weather reports, we should also report pollution parameters as well. This can help citizens convert the information into action and instead of engineering focused solutions alone, we will also find solutions from an ecological perspective,” he said.
Dr Pratima Singh, Head of CAPS said that addressing the challenges of air pollution requires a wide understanding of climate change as well and at ICAS 2022, the focus was on looking at how policies on air pollution and climate change can converge. “Looking at air pollution using a climate lens can help us find a way to a secure and sustainable environment. Working in silos is no longer an option if we want implementable solutions. By bringing together different communities, we want to bridge gaps in knowledge and find solutions that work,” she said.
“Through ICAS, CSTEP is enabling a platform to build and nurture an ecosystem that includes members of different communities – academia, civil society, industry, and government – to better inform research, help develop better solutions, and implement them effectively in a collaborative manner,” said Dr Jai Asundi, Executive Director, CSTEP.
Speakers examined how India’s energy transition to renewable energy would impact the dual crises of air pollution and climate change and what measures would help this transition. In the deep dive, experts looked at how looking at air pollution through the climate lens could have co-benefits for policymakers.
“While India can grow in a new pathway, there are challenges. The question remains how India looks at addressing the challenges of low emission technologies in addressing air pollution & climate change. A carbon trading system, putting a price on carbon, in a political context and also for industries will be tough to implement. There are tremendous savings through our conservative estimates. A shift in political and private calculations is needed. If we begin taking these measures today, results will be seen overtime,” said Ms Ulka Kelkar, Director, WRI India.
Mr KV George, Senior Principal Scientist & Head, Air Pollution Control Division, CSIR-NEERI said, “When a technology is implemented, behavioural change is needed. Studies should be undertaken to ensure that the measures are actually locally relevant and are actually usable by the people. We cannot impose our solutions on people. Ground level analysis is a must.”
Sessions covered issues such as addressing data gaps, the economic and health impact of air pollution and its interaction with climate change and also looked at how the implementation of the National Clean Air Programme (India’s strategy for combating pollution in non-attainment cities) was faring.
The summit also included a student poster competition where 15 students discussed their research-based solutions for air pollution and climate change. The posters made by the students were displayed. Judges will select the top 5 presentations and research ideas during the final day of ICAS2022. Also on display were 10 technology solutions developed for monitoring and managing air quality.
What’s next at ICAS2022?
On the final day of ICAS2022, 26th Aug 2022 CSTEP has collaborated with the UC Davis Air Quality Research Centre (AQRC) to hold the first ever Air Sensors International Conference (ASIC) – India. ASIC-India will provide training on sensor technology applications in the field of air pollution monitoring and management. Through the conference, UC Davis AQRC and CSTEP envision bringing a community of practitioners together to deliberate and build a common vision for sensor technology in India. ASIC is held annually in the US and brings together international practitioners in the field.
