Overview
- In posts referencing the State of Global Air 2025 report, Jairam Ramesh says air pollution was linked to about 2 million deaths in India in 2023, up 43% since 2000.
- India’s air-pollution mortality rate stands near 186 per 100,000 people, compared with about 17 per 100,000 in high‑income countries.
- Nearly nine in ten pollution-linked deaths in India are tied to non-communicable diseases, with attributions including roughly 70% of COPD deaths, 33% of lung cancer deaths, 25% of heart-disease deaths, and 20% of diabetes deaths.
- Ramesh highlights research linking PM2.5 exposure to brain damage and faster cognitive decline, noting an estimated 626,000 global dementia deaths in 2023 associated with air pollution.
- He argues current PM2.5 limits are far looser than WHO guidance—eight times higher for annual exposure and four times higher for 24-hour exposure—and says NCAP has not curbed rising PM2.5, urging an urgent update to the NAAQS.