Air Quality Impacts

Poor air quality isn't just unhealthy. It's expensive.Air quality affects broad sectors of society, from human health to crop yields to enjoyment of our national parks. About 3.5 million people die each year due to outdoor air pollution (more than 110,000 people in the United States), and the annual cost to the nation is estimated at nearly $150 billion due to disease, missed work, and damage to crops and forests.RAL scientists work on practical applications of our air quality knowledge, including forecasts for air quality in use across the world.

Benefits and Impacts

The system helps decision-makers mitigate the risk of air pollution in Delhi and surrounding regions. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) uses these forecasts to implement and revoke a variety of temporary emission control measures defined in their Graded Response Action Plan. These restrictions are found to cut peak pollution in  Delhi by up to 22%. The technology has been adapted to provide air-quality forecasts in other Indian cities, namely Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad , as well as for experimental forecasts  in the Contiguous United States.

Contact

Please direct questions/comments about this page to:

Rajesh Kumar

Deputy Director

email