Delhi Can Cut PM2.5 Exposure By 20% By 2040 With Timely Clean-Air Action: UN

Delhi could reduce its PM2.5 exposure burden by 20 per cent by 2040 if India achieves its current national air quality standards as scheduled from 2026, according to a new UN report.

However, an expected global implementation delay of around eight years could significantly reduce the gains. In such a scenario, Delhi’s PM2.5 exposure burden would fall by only about 10 per cent, potentially resulting in substantially greater health impacts over the period.

The report, titled Hidden Assets: The Economic and Health Case for Climate and Clean Air Action, was released on Monday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). It is described as the first comprehensive global economic assessment of integrated climate and clean-air action.

The report identifies 25 measures that can simultaneously address climate change and air pollution. These include expanding renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, increasing access to cleaner cooking and heating technologies, and introducing stricter vehicle emission and fuel-efficiency standards.

According to the analysis, implementing these measures could generate annual economic benefits equivalent to 2.8 per cent of global GDP by 2035, rising to 4.5 per cent by 2050 and 11.4 per cent by 2100.

The report estimates that every year of delay could result in the loss of more than 0.5 per cent of global GDP in potential benefits. That amounts to more than $1.5 trillion in combined market and non-market value each year.

“Strengthening enabling conditions — economic, social, technological and institutional — can bring all 25 solutions fully into place up to a decade sooner,” the report said, noting that faster implementation could significantly increase reductions in PM2.5 and ozone precursors between 2025 and 2050.

Globally, implementation is expected to be delayed by an average of 7.5 to eight years. Institutional barriers are identified as the biggest contributor, accounting for around 2.4 years of delay within a notional 15-year implementation period.

The report warned that a delay of this magnitude could roughly halve the emissions reductions that could otherwise be achieved by 2035, underscoring the importance of timely action on both air pollution and climate change.