With climate change and carbon emissions becoming growing concerns in the world, many countries have become riddled with some of the world’s worst air pollution.
In countries, such as Vietnam, air pollution has become a significant issue particularly in the capitol, Hanoi. Parents have become increasingly worried for the health and safety of their children and their youth. Many Hanoian citizens have even prohibited their children from going outside unnecessarily, thus exemplifying the severity of the issue. In Vietnam, the dismal air quality has become the cause of around 60,000 early deaths per year. The leading cause of the significant decrease in air quality in Vietnam is their rapid industrialization which, further leading to air pollution in the rest of the globe.
Additionally, air pollution in India is a serious issue for residents. Specifically in Delhi, the air pollution continues to worsen every fall season when winds and temperatures weaken, allowing for pollutants to become trapped in the atmosphere.
Indian farmers burn excess straw around this time of year to make room for the upcoming crops, adding to the pollutants in the air. The pollution has worsened to the point of being visible in NASA’s satellite imagery. It is assumed that many Indian residents will die almost eight years earlier than their original life expectancy. With their monsoon season arriving later, the farmers’ burning of crops stretches into the Hindi holiday of Diwali which is celebrated with fireworks, in turn causing more air pollution in the country. In attempts to combat this, firecrackers were banned during the Diwali celebration, but very few obliged, leading to air pollution increasing even more. The severity of the issue is by no means new, but it has continued and will continue to worsen, with Delhi being ranked as the world’s second most polluted city. With last year’s summer being deemed as the hottest of all and temperatures only continuing to climb, India’s smog does not help with the world’s surge in high temperatures.