Slashdot Mirror
Indian Capital Declares Emergency as Toxic Smog Thickens By the Hour (reuters.com)
New Delhi, the Indian capital declared a pollution emergency on Thursday as toxic smog hung over the city for a third day and air quality worsened by the hour. From a report: Illegal crop burning in the farm states surrounding New Delhi, vehicle exhaust emissions in a city with limited public transport and swirling construction dust have caused the crisis, which arises every year. The problem has been compounded this year by still conditions, the weather office said. A U.S. embassy measure of tiny particulate matter PM 2.5 showed a reading of 608 at 10 a.m. when the safe limit is 25. An hour before it was 591.
India definitely needs to invest more in cleaner energy.
I agree, but I will point out that the pollution in question comes from burning fields, not from energy production or transportation.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/stubble-burning-punjab-farmers-amarinder-singh-ngt-air-pollution-4897240/
http://www.dw.com/en/burning-fields-in-punjab/av-41233497
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
When it comes to EVs, India has brought these problems on themselves. They insist on cars sold locally being made with at least 30% locally manufactured components, a protectionist policy that has been very successful at keeping foreign-made EVs out. But local EV manufacture in India is in its infancy.
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not âEureka!â(TM), but
According to Transparency international's Corruption Perception Index, India is fairly corrupt.
It is at 79th place with a score of 40 (equal with China). By comparison US is 18th - score 74 (just ahead of Ireland).
The least corrupt are New Zealand & Denmark with a score of 90.
Most corrupt is North Korea at 176th and a score of 8.
New Zealanders are well balanced with a chip on each shoulder. One represents Australia, the other the rest of the world
And little more perspective... This incident in India is similar to the 1948 Donora Smog event in Donora, PA, where steel factory air pollution and an unusual weather event created a smog that over the town that sickened thousands and killed 20 people. It was one of the key events that triggered the clean air movement in the US and eventually led to the Clean Air Act. https://www.sites.google.com/s...