New Delhi is suffering from such severe smog that the government is considering extreme measures such as shutting down schools, stopping construction work, banning trucks from the city, and imposing a rule whereby cars with odd and even number plates can only drive on alternate days. Anything above a 100 on the Air Quality Index is considered unhealthy, New Delhi's AQI is a sky rocketing high of 336. With Delhi as the capital of India, this has huge economic repercussions. A 2006 study reported that cars contributed to 72% of New Delhi's air pollution, so the government's plan to limit car usage may be effective, the question is if its practical? It could decrease output of businesses, and may cause a burden on a public transport system that is already stretched out thin. Moreover, just today, 37 flights were cancelled due to low visibility which causes further inefficiencies. This problem is not unique to New Delhi, Lahore, a city in Pakistan faces the same issue. Are the solutions posed by the government practical?
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/01/asia/delhi-pollution-schools-intl-hnk/
With pollution actually affecting the efficiency of the economy, there may major incentive to take action on preventative or alleviating action. Would the enforcement of decreased automobile usage be the most rewarding method? We cannot answer; however, every country reacts differently. Hopefully the act would exhibit more benefit than loss.
ReplyDeleteOut of all of the listed solutions, reducing car usage definitely seems the most practical and impactful. This can be done my simply investing more into the public transportation sector.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nick. If one of the big contributors to the pollution is cars, then I believe one of the biggest ways to reduce the pollution is reduce traffic within the cities. Outside of questioning whether the policies are political, I think that officials need to be aware of the medical issues this type of environment can cause.
ReplyDelete