Air pollution-A global menace

Air pollution is becoming a major problem that affects millions of people worldwide. 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air which is causing about 7 million premature deaths annually. It has now become a concern which if not addressed now can lead to catastrophic results. The effect of the deteriorating quality of air is well evident from the increasing cases of respiratory diseases amongst infants, children and adults of all ages. The importance of fresh air is understood by many, but only a few actually work towards facilitating its presence in their environment. Bad air quality not only affects the physical health of all the individuals inhaling it but also indirectly affects their mental functioning as well. The increase in energy consumption aiding to a diversity of processes due to the ever-increasing population and rapid urbanization, leads to toxic emissions being produced that slowly degrade our surrounding air’s quality. Due to the burning of biomass and fossil fuels that are the root cause of air pollution, the greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere which warms up the earth’s atmosphere ultimately leading to climate change. The importance of fresh air and the process of reaching a stage where it is readily available to all inhabitants of the world – is an important topic that requires immediate call for action. The present session would provide a platform to various stakeholders working towards the mitigation of the challenges put forth by degraded air quality and discussing the possible solutions to cater to this problem.