Air pollution

Air strikes in Beijing have an effect - fall on the gloomy list  

 

While the residents of Indian New Delhi still suffer badly from air pollution, the situation in China's capital Beijing has improved significantly in recent years, writes CNN.  

 

Beijing was long high on the list of the world's most polluted cities, but the city has fallen to 27th place since 2013. It has likely saved hundreds of thousands of lives, according to researchers.  

 

Industrial investments, emission controls, electrification and rules that limit the number of cars are some of the explanations. 

 

- All this has made a difference, says Frank Christian Hammes, CEO of IQAir, which compiles the list.  

 

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India's "band-aid solutions" to dirty air are criticized 

 

New Delhi tops the list of the world's most polluted cities. And while China has been responsible for successful investments that have improved the situation in Beijing, the situation is different in India.  

 

According to Jyoti Pande Lavakare, co-founder of the organization Care for Air and author of a book on air pollution, there is not enough political ambition. 

 

- There is not a single party that admits: "we make the whole country feel bad, let's fix it", he tells CNN.  

The political proposals that have nevertheless been put forward are described as reactive instead of proactive. "Band-Aid solutions", according to Frank Christian Hammes, CEO of IQAir, which ranks the world's most polluted cities.