Cities across India face escalating air pollution. Now, a study in the International Journal of Sustainable Society looks at the inherent conflict in reconciling economic growth with ecological sustainability. Sunil Barthwal of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Dehradun, India, scrutinizes the multifaceted efforts of citizens, industries, and government to address the issues. In his paper, Barthwal highlights the delicate balance between economic needs and sustainable development as well as emphasising the concentrated pockets of pollution experience in northern Indian cities. There are many quick fixes being suggested but a long-sighted vision is needed, the work suggests.
Barthwal points out that as air quality falls, so sales of domestic air purifiers rise. This has sparked an economic boom in the air purifier market but such devices solve a very local problem in the home while being built from non-renewable resources and running on electricity that is often generated using fossil fuels rather than sustainable power sources. This kind of quick-fix generates profits but draws even greater attention to a gaping hole in the policy framework. A broader, more comprehensive strategy is needed to address the roots of the issue, Barthwal’s work suggests.
We are globally at a tipping point in terms of emissions and pollution. Research in this area repeatedly sounds a consistent clarion call especially for emerging economies. Those rapidly developing regions could seize the opportunity in these critical moments and help steer their economic models towards a sustainable future in a way that seems to be beyond many of the entrenched economies of the developed world. Economic objectives and ecosystem preservation ought to be the parallel paradigms driving development. Prosperity can no longer be in opposition and at the expense of the environment. We can no longer tolerate wealth without health.
Barthwal, S. (2023) ‘Toxic air, choked ecosystem: paradox of economic growth vs. ecosystem sustainability’, Int. J. Sustainable Society, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.239–252.