A

ir pollution can be defined as the presence of toxic chemicals or

compounds (including those of biological origin) in the air, at
levels that pose a health risk. In an even broader sense, air
pollution means the presence of chemicals or compounds in the air
which are usually not present and which lower the quality of the air or
cause detrimental changes to the quality of life (such as the damaging of
the ozone layer or causing global warming).

Air pollution is probably one of the most serious environmental

problems confronting our civilization today. Most often, it is caused by
human activities such as mining, construction, transportation, industrial
work, agriculture, smelting, etc. However, natural processes such as
volcanic eruptions and wildfires may also pollute the air, but their
The overall aim of the proposed research is to further
understand the link between air pollution levels and chemical
composition and to investigate and assess the effects of air
pollution on the distribution of related health impacts, socio-
economics and welfare. In pursuing this aim, the following
objectives will be investigated:
• Causes of air pollution
• Effects of air pollution
• Present global scenario
• Future projections
• Air pollution in India
• Preventive measures adopted by the government
• Burning of Fossil Fuels: Sulfur dioxide emitted from the
combustion of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and other
factory combustibles is one the major cause of air
pollution. Pollution emitting from vehicles including trucks,
jeeps, cars, trains, airplanes cause immense amount of
pollution.
• Exhaust from factories and industries: Manufacturing
industries release large amount of carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals into the
air thereby depleting the quality of air. Manufacturing
industries can be found at every corner of the earth and
there is no area that has not been affected by it. Petroleum
refineries also release hydrocarbons and various other
chemicals that pollute the air and also cause land pollution.
• Respiratory and heart problems: Air pollution is known to
create several respiratory and heart conditions along with
Cancer, among other threats to the body. Several millions
are known to have died due to direct or indirect effects of
Air pollution. Children in areas exposed to air pollutants are
said to commonly suffer from pneumonia and asthma.

• Global warming: Another direct effect is the immediate

alterations that the world is witnessing due to Global
warming. With increased temperatures worldwide,
increase in sea levels and melting of ice from colder regions
and icebergs, displacement and loss of habitat have already
signaled an impending disaster if actions for preservation
and normalization aren’t undertaken soon.
On the surface North America and Europe have been
gradually improving. However, that is due to often
moving industry to other countries such as China or India
where air pollution is a bit more of a problem. Most of
the world's population will be subject to degraded air
quality by 2050 if human-made emissions continue as
usual. In this business-as-usual scenario, the average
world citizen 40 years from now will experience similar
air pollution to that of today's average East Asian citizen.
Air pollution is a major health risk that may worsen with
increasing industrial activity. At present, urban outdoor
air pollution causes 1.3 million estimated deaths per year
worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
• Air pollution would increase in Europe and North America, but to a
much lesser extent than in Asia, due to the effect of local mitigation
policies that have been in place for over two decades.

• The results show that in 2025 and 2050, under the business-as-usual
scenario studied, East Asia will be exposed to high levels of pollutants,
such as nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and fine particulate matter (PM
2.5). Northern India and the Arabian Gulf region, on the other hand,
will suffer a marked increase in ozone levels.

• Taking all pollutants into account, eastern China, northern India, the
Middle East, and North Africa are projected to have the world's poorest
air quality in the future. In the latter locations this is due to a
combination of natural desert dust and man-induced ozone. The effect
of anthropogenic pollution emissions are predicted to be most harmful
in East and South Asia, where air pollution is projected to triple
compared to current levels.
• India's high air pollution, ranked by the World Health Organization among
the worst in the world, is adversely impacting the lifespan of its citizens,
reducing most Indian lives by over three years, a new study has said.

• Over half of India's population – 660 million people – live in areas where
fine particulate matter pollution is above India's standards for what is
considered safe.

• Of the world’s top 20 polluted cities, 13 are in India compared to just three
in China. Air pollution slashes life expectancy by 3.2 years for the 660
million Indians who live in cities, including Delhi. In China, the
corresponding dip is marginally lower at three years.

• According to a report in The Economic Times citing research by

environmental economists from Chicago, Harvard and Yale that finds that
well over half of the Indian population may be set to lose three years of
their lives due to the adverse effects of breathing air with highly excessive
levels of pollutants. It has been known for some time that the air that
people breathe in Indian cities is among the worst in the world.
1. Tax
The idea of tax is to make consumers and producers pay the full social
cost of producing pollution. For example, petrol tax or a carbon tax.

2. Pollution Permits
Pollution permits are a market based scheme aimed at reducing
pollution and trying to encourage firms to reduce the quantity of
pollution they create. Permits create a financial incentive to pollute
less because you can then sell your excess permits to other firms. In
theory, it can be a good way to reduce pollution, using the incentives
of the market.
3. Subsidies
A tax may be ineffective if there are no practical alternatives. However, if
the government subsidies alternatives, then firms and consumers will be
more willing to switch. For example, solar power is an alternative to
burning coal. A government subsidy can make solar power competitive and
encourage its development. The subsidy is justified because the
development of solar power has a significant positive externality.

4. Regulation
The government has created many regulations for limiting the amount of
pollution in air. Various pollution regulations may set strict limits for the
amount of pollutants put into the air. The advantage of regulation is that
they create clearly defined goals and can make sure that pollution levels
are actually reduced rather than relying on market based incentives, which
may or may not work.
Clean air consists of several gases. When some other gases or
dangerous elements get into the clean air, pollution is inevitable.
Ozone layer is affected too much by pollution and it will cause
serious disturbances on the environment.
People are the main cause of pollution because the things that
we use contain dangerous chemicals and they make atmosphere
dirtier. Furthermore climate changes because of pollution.
We can control ourselves and we should act carefully. So, for
example, we should use public transportation, avoid spray cans.
Besides, people mostly be careful regarding trees as they are
sources of oxygen. Due to its importance we should keep them
clean.
Environment and also air are so significant for all living beings. So
people should take into account this issue and they should do
whatever they can to keep our environment clean.