Clean Air for Blue Skies

“The most alarming of all man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials. This pollution is for the most part irrecoverable; the chain of evil it initiates not only in the world that must support life but in living tissues is for the most part irreversible.”

Rachel Carson’s lamentation from twenty years ago still holds true and sadly will hold for more years to come. A recent study published in March 2020 in the Journal of Cardiovascular Research has given out alarming insights – global air pollution shortened life expectancy by 3 years which is higher than that of smoking, which reduced life expectancy by 2.2 years and much higher than other causes like fatal diseases and war. The even more worrying insight from this study is that dirty air can all the more intensify the effects of diseases caused by viruses like the Covid-19.

Pollution of the Earth’s atmosphere happens in many ways. Most of the pollution being experienced at present is due to human-made causes (also called as anthropogenic causes), especially the vices of air pollution. Particularly, industrial areas and urban spaces in developing nations have highly polluted air in their atmosphere. Global climate change caused by warming of the Earth is enhanced by anthropogenic air pollution which increases the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Apart from causing ills to human life in the form of various ailments, air pollution can cause environmental and economic damages. It contaminates the water we drink and the soil in which we grow our food. In major cities, pollution results in haze and smog in winters thereby increasing the chances of accidents and mishaps caused due to poor visibility. Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide mixes with water to form acid rain, which is surely not a pleasant experience for any life on this planet.

That air pollution is harmful, is known by all, how prepared are we as a community aiming at economic growth ready to cope up with and defuse this situation? We can only hope that this pandemic has taught us wise lessons to be better aware of the perils of air pollution so that there are active collective action and political will to encourage and build a better future. After the Kyoto Protocol (2005) and subsequent climate change discussion panels, many countries have adopted laws and policies to regulate and reduce air pollution. With many campaigns and support from UNEP, WHO, and the World Bank have all contributed to raising awareness. This has also largely increased the number of industries looking for serious measures to curb emissions.

In 2019, the Republic of Korea negotiated for a landmark resolution in the UN General Assembly to hold an annual International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, the first of which is being observed today, 7th September 2020. With aims to increase awareness about the importance of clean air for health, productivity, economy and environment, the day places highlight for encouraging solutions and actions for improving air quality and provide clean air for all.

One should remember that anybody can take steps to reduce air pollution – be it a single individual, a community, or an industry. We at Airtas Environics are constantly striving to help industries overcome their workplace pollution problems in terms of air pollution control, indoor air quality, material recovery and preventive maintenance of machinery. Aimed to make industrial and manufacturing plants into a cleaner, safer, and more efficient workplace, we have taken our commitment to the environment seriously and we help manufacturers to shoulder that responsibility for clean air.

A note from our founder’s desk, ‘Improving air quality is vital for both human and environmental health. To contribute for a future with clean air, we at Airtas Environics tend with utmost care to equip industries with customized solutions to handle their unique requirements. We will be part of an evolving community that transforms industries by enabling their contribution for clean air in the future. Together, let’s bring back the brilliant blue sky and refreshingly clean air, for us and for everyone. After all, clean air is a basic human right, isn’t it?’