COP29: India asks ‘air shed’ neighbours to fight air pollution jointly

Air pollution is a shared problem for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) countries, as most of them fall under the same air-shed, i.e., the Indo-Gangetic Airshed, reported Down to Earth. The report added that India said it was a transboundary issue at a meeting of the HKH countries hosted by Bhutan’s prime minister Tshering Tobgay particularly Pakistan and Bangladesh, “to take proactive, collaborative steps to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders”, according to a press note shared by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The report explained that India’s National Clean Air Programme has also taken on board the principle of regional air quality management. But it lacks a regulatory framework for regional action,

Delhi air pollution: AQI ‘severe’ again; thick smog reduces visibility

Delhi Air Quality Index (AQI) turned ‘severe’ for the first time this season on November 13, Anand Vihar was 466 (‘severe plus’) at 10am on Thursday. The central pollution watchdog attributed the deterioration to an “unprecedentedly dense” fog and described it as an “episodic event”, the Hindustan Times reported. 

The air quality crosses over 400, which falls under the severe category. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), however, opted not to enforce Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes measures like halting in-person classes for primary schools and imposing a blanket ban on construction activities.

UN warns that toxic smog in Pakistan’s Punjab province is endangering children

The UN children’s agency warned that the health of 11 million children in Pakistan’s Punjab is in danger because of air pollution, the Associated Press reported. Toxic smog has shrouded Pakistan’s Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month. Health officials say more than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments. UNICEF urged the government to make urgent and greater efforts to reduce air pollution for the 11 million affected children under the age of 5 and others.

“Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12% of deaths in children under 5 in Pakistan were due to air pollution,” the report said, adding that Pakistan has shut schools until Nov. 17 in parts of Punjab as part of measures aimed at protecting children’s health. Authorities on Friday ordered the closure of all parks and museums for 10 days, and they have been urging people to avoid unnecessary travel.

Plastic pollution is changing entire Earth system: Study 

Ahead of the November 25 global meet on cutting plastic pollution, scientists have warned plastic pollution is changing the entire Earth system. A new study found pollution is affecting the climate, biodiversity, ecosystems, ocean acidification and human health. 

Plastic pollution has exacerbated climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and the use of freshwater and land, according to scientific analysis reported the Guardian. Plastic must not be treated as a waste problem alone, the authors said, but as a product that poses harm to ecosystems and human health, the newspaper reported. 

The warning comes before final talks begin in South Korea to agree on a legally binding global treaty to cut plastic pollution. The outlet said the progress towards a treaty on plastic pollution has been hindered by a row over the need to include cuts to the $712bn plastic production industry in the treaty. At the last talks in April, developed countries were accused of bowing to pressure from fossil fuel and industry lobbyists to steer clear of any reductions in production. The discussions in South Korea, which start on November 25, mark a rare opportunity for countries to come to an agreement to tackle the global crisis of plastic pollution.

Treated liquid waste from landfills adding more toxic chemicals by over 1000%: study

Researchers have found that treatment plants designed to clean up leachate liquid waste boost levels of banned PFAS ( polyfluoroalkyl substances) that cause cancers. The Guardian reported that processes intended to decontaminate noxious liquid landfill waste before it enters rivers and sewers have been found to increase the levels of some of the worst toxic chemicals, a study has shown.

Landfills are well known to be a main source of PFAS forever chemicals,  but the new study shows that the treatment plants designed to clean up the liquid waste can instead boost the levels of banned PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS, in some cases by as much as 1,335%.

The outlet said that using data from an Environment Agency investigation into landfill liquid waste, which is known as leachate, Dr David Megson from Manchester Metropolitan University, who co-authored the study found “that instead of removing the banned chemicals PFOS and PFOA our treatment plants are actually creating them … likely being formed from the transformation of other PFAS within a chemical soup”. The authors said “with potentially hundreds of landfill operators legally allowed to discharge their treated leachate into the environment” there is an “urgent need” for more research so that PFAS can be disposed of properly.

Private jet flights “used like taxis” raised polluting emissions by 50%

Private jet flights added pollution from heating emissions by 50% with around 900,000 flights used  “like taxis” for trips of less than 50km, a new global study has found. The assessment tracked more than 25,000 private jets and almost 19m flights between 2019 and 2023. It found almost half the jets travelled less than 500km, the Guardian reported. Private flights, used by just 0.003% of the world’s population, are the most polluting form of transport. The researchers found that passengers in larger private jets caused more CO2 emissions in an hour than the average person did in a year.The US dominated private jet travel, representing 69% of flights, and Canada, the UK and Australia were all in the top 10. A private jet takes off every six minutes in the UK. The total emissions from private jet flights in 2023 were more than 15m tonnes, more than the 60 million people of Tanzania emitted.

Industry expectations are that another 8,500 business jets will enter service by 2033, far outstripping efficiency gains and indicating that private flight emissions will rise even further.

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