Santosh Harish, leader of Open Philanthropy’s grantmaking in South Asian air quality, reveals shocking truths about air pollution, responsible for ~12% of global deaths. He discusses the devastating health impacts of PM 2.5, with particular focus on municipal waste burning in developing cities. The conversation touches on ineffective waste management practices, the importance of improved public policies, and innovative solutions to combat air pollution. Harish also considers the role of the judiciary and highlights the urgent need for collaboration to create cleaner air.
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insights INSIGHT
Air Pollution's Impact
Air pollution is the largest environmental health risk, causing 6.67 million annual deaths (12% globally).
Particulate matter, a cocktail of substances including harmless dust and toxic metals, is the primary culprit.
insights INSIGHT
Evolving Understanding of Air Pollution
Research reveals air pollution is worse than previously thought, impacting cognition and productivity.
Studies also show it affects various health outcomes, prompting increased concern among experts.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Outrageous Pollution Examples
Municipal waste burning, a common practice in the Global South, is an easily manageable yet widespread pollution source.
Industries skipping emission controls at night, for minimal cost savings, is another egregious example.
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"One [outrageous example of air pollution] is municipal waste burning that happens in many cities in the Global South. Basically, this is waste that gets collected from people's homes, and instead of being transported to a waste management facility or a landfill or something, gets burned at some point, because that's the fastest way to dispose of it — which really points to poor delivery of public services. But this is ubiquitous in virtually every small- or even medium-sized city. It happens in larger cities too, in this part of the world.
"That's something that truly annoys me, because it feels like the kind of thing that ought to be fairly easily managed, but it happens a lot. It happens because people presumably don't think that it's particularly harmful. I don't think it saves a tonne of money for the municipal corporations and other local government that are meant to manage it. I find it particularly annoying simply because it happens so often; it's something that you're able to smell in so many different parts of these cities." — Santosh Harish
80,000 Hours Podcast