Who and how do you incentivise to solve India's air pollution problem?

“This is the first time we are discussing what I'd describe as a wicked problem”, says host Rohin Dharmakumar at the beginning of this episode.

What's a wicked problem?

It's not a bad thing, it's not an evil thing.

A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that's difficult or impossible to solve because of its complex and interconnected nature. They lack clarity in both their aims and solutions, and are subject to real-world constraints which hinder risk-free attempts to find a solution.

This definition comes from the space of systems thinking.

And the “wicked problem” at the centre of today’s discussion is India's air pollution. More specifically, North India's air pollution problem and, as we zoom down further, Delhi's air pollution problem.

India ranks second globally as the most polluted country.

Our particulate pollution increased by 67.7% from 1998 to 2021.

Because of the PM2.5 pollution particles, which are actually the smallest that are tracked, an average Indian's life is cut short by 5.3 years.

And if you live in the north of India, the reduction is close to 12 years.

Now, these aren't statistics that most of you people would have heard about.

Depending on where you are in India, you think it's either a problem that you have to live with or a problem someone else has to live with.

In this episode of Two by Two, we want to really discuss how to think about this problem, how to solve this problem, and how even to begin to define this problem.

Joining hosts Rohin Dharmakumar and Praveen Gopal Krishnan for the discussion are guests Alok Mittal, co-founder of Indifi; Roshan Shankar, founder and CEO of Saroja Earth; and Mohit Beotra, co-founder of Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG)

Welcome to episode 27 of Two by Two.

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This episode of Two by Two was produced by Hari Krishna. Rajiv CN, our resident sound engineer, mixed and mastered this episode.

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