w*p
发帖数: 16484 | 1 It's difficult to convey how oppressive Delhi's air pollution is.
Morning visibility is a couple of hundred metres. Through the eerie filtered
light, figures emerge from and disappear into the gloom.
Some wear masks or handkerchiefs, most blithely dismiss the apocalyptic
atmosphere, shrugging it off as "just fog".
Except it isn't.
Last Wednesday, central New Delhi's count of harmful PM2.5 particles
exceeded a staggering 1,000 on the US EPA's air quality index.
To put that in perspective, the highest rating, "hazardous to human health
— do not go outside", is reserved for readings between 300 and 500.
Delhi was off the scale, twice.
The concentration of poisonous particles is so intense that ingesting it,
even through a mask, blurs the line between taste and smell. Eyes water.
Throats rasp.
"But, if China can fix this, then tell me, why can't we!?" demanded one news
anchor angrily, of an unfortunate live studio guest.
Sadly, the interrogation wasn't aimed at a politician, but instead an
environmental activist wondering the same thing.
"Its a very good question," the activist replied.
We asked your thoughts on Delhi's air pollution. Read the discussion in the
comments.
Outrage rarely outlasts social media posts
Following angry protests several years ago, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
declared "war" on pollution, fearing worsening air could spark wider
community unrest.
He ordered crackdowns on factories and power plants flouting rarely-enforced
regulations.
According to Greenpeace, it's working.
Last year, the environmental group examined a decade of satellite
particulate matter measurements, concluding "China's systematic efforts to
combat air pollution have achieved an impressive improvement in average air
quality".
India generally dislikes comparisons to rival China, and Greenpeace's
findings didn't make for happy reading in Delhi.
"From 2011 to 2015, China has made big strides while in India, pollution
levels have kept rising," the report noted.
Why? Because Delhiites' seasonal outrage rarely outlasts their social media
posts, and the country's politicians know it.
In the last week, millions of tweets, Facebook and WhatsApp posts tagged #
DelhiChokes and #airpocalypse have expressed people's collective frustration
— a year after record-breaking pollution prompted Government promises of
action in 2016 — the same thing is now happening again.
But not only is the digital mobocracy's rage ephemeral, it is also quickly
diluted by a myriad of rival interests.
Take the ham-fisted effort to replicate an initiative used in China and
elsewhere — only allowing private vehicles on alternate days.
The scheme was to take effect this week, but the Delhi state administration
shelved it over the weekend, irritated that India's environmental tribunal
ruled there would be no exceptions for women, motorbikes or senior
Government workers.
Health is not a major concern
Meanwhile in states surrounding Delhi, illegal stubble burning, a widely-
acknowledged contributor to the seasonal smog, continues.
Politicians in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh say poor farmers have no
alternative.
Punjab's chief minister argued that penalising farmers would be "more
criminal" than "the act for which they are being condemned".
Similar pleas are made by transport, construction, brick-making and other
industry sectors, all complaining that regulation or forced change would be
an impossible imposition on ordinary Indians.
The gridlock provides an easy excuse for politicians to do nothing.
Indeed, India's Twitter-loving Prime Minister Narendra Modi hasn't mentioned
it once. Indifference is bliss.
And there's another reason this 'weather the storm' approach works too.
Unlike in China, where anger spurred Beijing into action, air quality and
its impact on health simply isn't a major concern for many Indians,
especially poorer ones.
Numerous working-class Delhiites say their lungs are "used to it", or if
they do concede ill-health, they'll question the cause.
The indifference to their health exasperates doctors like lung surgeon Dr
Arvind Kumar.
"Their lungs are turning black," Dr Kumar, chairman of lung surgery at New
Delhi's Ganga Ram hospital, said.
"We're going to have an epidemic of lung cancer."
So, what must come first, anger or leadership?
People's movement could bring change
Mexico's ambassador to India last week wrote how contingency plans for
various pollution levels built awareness and support for Mexico City's
efforts to curb pollution in the 90s.
Something similar does exist in New Delhi, but requires little action in all
but the most extreme circumstances.
Ambassador Melba Maria Pria Olavarrieta argued that Mexico City's graded
directives gave the pollution issue "a direct impact on the lives of the
common man, woman, boy and girl".
The disruption, she said "created awareness and dialogue about the
importance of air quality".
Considered the world's most polluted city in 1992, Mexico City's example
also refutes the argument that such change is impossible in developing
countries.
Would it work in Delhi?
Dr Kumar thinks it will take a public push, like the kind that drove change
in China.
"The Communist Party there saw it as an issue which could affect the
survival of the Government, so they reacted," he said.
That sort of concern has so far been lacking or temporary in India, but Dr
Kumar is hopeful that with sustained pressure it will come.
"When it becomes a people's movement in India too, the Government will
have no choice but to sit up and act on it," he said.
It's a cruel irony. Fear of public anger is credited with driving change in
a one-party state, while the citizens of a great democracy argue amongst
themselves. | l****p
发帖数: 27354 | | w*p
发帖数: 16484 | 3 中共买通的bbc5毛，给中共洗地的
【在 l****p 的大作中提到】
: 印度老将在美国发文?良心文章
| l****p
发帖数: 27354 | 4 洗涤不力啊,因为既然认为社会主义好,中国的空气质量应该比欧美好才对.即使这样,也
不行,还有个梗.
【在 w*p 的大作中提到】
: 中共买通的bbc5毛，给中共洗地的
| c****h
发帖数: 4968 | 5 哥觉得不是阿三政府不作为，而不知道该怎么去治理。本来电力就不足，关了电厂大家
都摸黑？城市公共交通落后，一半的私家车限制出行后，半个城市就要停摆！唯一的希
望就是新能源和新能源汽车。中国在这些领域的投资，将来都会有很高的利润的。 | b******t
发帖数: 1271 | 6 没什么可比性
中国北方雾霾主要是冬季取暖，钢铁厂和汽车尾气。
印度热带国家不需要燃煤烧暖气取暖，也没有什么钢铁厂。
三哥的雾霾问题完全是政府部门管理水平低下。
它的雾霾是粗放燃烧秸秆，摩托车几乎不查排放的原因。 | w*p
发帖数: 16484 | 7 确实没办法。比如烧秸秆这事，也不能让所有农民马上就停下来。还有烧牛粪，不让烧
的话好多穷人没法煮饭了。
发展程度太低还住这么密集，就是这个结果。
【在 c****h 的大作中提到】
: 哥觉得不是阿三政府不作为，而不知道该怎么去治理。本来电力就不足，关了电厂大家
: 都摸黑？城市公共交通落后，一半的私家车限制出行后，半个城市就要停摆！唯一的希
: 望就是新能源和新能源汽车。中国在这些领域的投资，将来都会有很高的利润的。
| xt
发帖数: 17532 | 8 又是美国大使馆捣鬼，显然是对印度现代化的羡慕嫉妒恨。 | b****y
发帖数: 1867 | 9 确实很难想象，印度一个工业化水平这么低的国家空气搞成这个样子。等他大规模工业
化的时候还能活吗？ | b******t
发帖数: 1271 | 10 和印度大规模生态破坏也有关系
更主要是懒
北方邦农民烧秸秆是为了积肥，但是很多乡镇是露天焚烧垃圾。麻痹和随地大小便一个
德性，城市垃圾连挖坑都懒得挖直接开烧.
: 确实很难想象，印度一个工业化水平这么低的国家空气搞成这个样子。等他大规
模工业
: 化的时候还能活吗？
【在 b****y 的大作中提到】
: 确实很难想象，印度一个工业化水平这么低的国家空气搞成这个样子。等他大规模工业
: 化的时候还能活吗？
| b******t
发帖数: 1271 | 11 鑰屼笖鍗板害涓洿鏄繖鏍蜂笉鐭ラ亾涓轰粈涔堟渶杩戝弽鑰屼笂鏂伴椈浜br />
I have
been living delhi for the last more than 50yrs and have always seen this
type smog always and it is only weather god which has helped delhites always
SUDARSHAN NINDRAJOG
鈥 hours ago
1 0 鈥eply鈥lag
銆鍦bajiecat(dsfds) 鐨勫ぇ浣滀腑鎻愬埌: 銆br />
: 鍜屽嵃搴﹀ぇ瑙勬ā鐢熸
鐮村潖涔熸湁鍏崇郴
: 鏇翠富瑕佹槸鎳br />
: 鍖楁柟閭﹀啘姘戠儳绉哥鏄负浜嗙Н鑲ワ紝浣嗘槸
寰堝涔￠晣鏄湶澶╃剼鐑у瀮鍦俱楹荤椆鍜岄殢鍦板ぇ灏忎究涓釜
: 寰锋锛屽煄甯傚瀮鍦捐繛鎸栧潙閮芥噿寰楁寲鐩存帴寮儳.
: 妯″伐涓br />
| d*****t
发帖数: 7903 | 12 各位都是什么专业？这种事情都了如指掌，佩服啊
【在 b******t 的大作中提到】
: 和印度大规模生态破坏也有关系
: 更主要是懒
: 北方邦农民烧秸秆是为了积肥，但是很多乡镇是露天焚烧垃圾。麻痹和随地大小便一个
: 德性，城市垃圾连挖坑都懒得挖直接开烧.
:
:
: 确实很难想象，印度一个工业化水平这么低的国家空气搞成这个样子。等他大规
: 模工业
:
: 化的时候还能活吗？
:
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