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#170 – Santosh Harish on how air pollution is responsible for ~12% of global deaths — and how to get that number down

80,000 Hours Podcast

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Air Pollution is Comprised of Numerous Small Sources, Which Makes It Harder to Solve

Air pollution in a city like Delhi comes from various sources such as waste burning, vehicular emissions, industrial and power plant emissions, and residential and commercial activities. These sources are roughly equal contributors to pollution. Within each category, there are large formal entities like power plants as well as numerous smaller enterprises which collectively play a significant role. Despite having subcategories like trucks, cars, and two-wheelers, vehicular emissions at a national level might be in single digits. Household burning is the primary contributor, comprising 25 to 30% of ambient air quality exposure. Targeting a single source won't solve the pollution issue as it is spread across multiple categories. Developing countries face a challenge in addressing pollution due to the wide variety of sources falling under different government agencies, making progress difficult and requiring comprehensive action on each contributing source.

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