Environmental Governance and Policy

Environmental
Governance and Policy

SFC Perspectives

Limiting the threat of environmental pollution through health-focused, systemic transformations

Air pollution affects large parts of rural and urban India, posing a significant health risk and causing over 1.5 million premature deaths annually. Our work aims to make lasting and sustainable improvements to India’s air quality by strengthening the foundations of our approach to air quality management. This involves strengthening regulatory institutions, enabling governance mechanisms for collaboration between state and non-state actors, and implementing forward-looking and ambitious policies.

Presently, we focus on three interconnected issues: enhancing the capacity of environmental regulators (pollution control boards) to address the challenges posed by an urbanising and industrializing nation, establishing a comprehensive air quality management framework and effective local and regional institutions, and integrating health considerations into all stages of air pollution policymaking.

Our publications

This also includes publications by SFC team members in their past capacities.

Managing air quality: Answer is in airsheds

Shibani Ghosh and Bhargav Krishna

Hindustan Times | 28 October 2024

Four key issues to consider for effectively implementing an air-shed level approach to air quality management.

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Explained: What Is PM 2.5 And How Will It Affect Our Health?

Nazneen

ETV Bharat | 20 August 2024

The piece sheds light on long-term sustainable solutions to tackle the increase in PM 2.5 presence in emissions.

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Air Quality Regulation

Shibani Ghosh

Oxford University Press | 23 July 2024

An overview of the regulatory and institutional framework that governs some of the major sources of air pollution in the country

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Journal articles

Environmental Governance and Policy

Ambient air pollution and daily mortality in ten cities of India: a causal modelling study

Jeroen de Bont, Bhargav Krishna et al.

The Lancet Planetary Health | 4 July 2024

Even levels of air pollution below current Indian air quality standards lead to increased daily mortality rates in India. It finds that across 10 cities in the country (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Shimla and Varanasi), ~33,000 deaths per year can be attributed to air pollution levels that are above the WHO guidelines. Significant number of deaths were observed even in cities not considered to have high air pollution, such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai.

Opinions

Adaptation and Resilience

Environmental Governance and Policy

Unified action needed to tackle extreme heat and air pollution

Annanya Mahajan and Tamanna Dalal

Mongabay | 25 June 2024

The combined impact of air pollution and heatwaves can be far more severe than individual impacts, as various reactions between heat and gases in the air can affect cardiovascular, respiratory and immune systems. Adopting unified protective health measures against both issues is crucial.

Books and book chapters

Adaptation and Resilience

Environmental Governance and Policy

Synergistic Impact of Air Pollution and Heat on Health and Economy in India

Abinaya Sekar, Rajat Sharma and Annanya Mahajan

Springer | 1 May 2024

The chapter, published in the book ‘The Climate-Health-Sustainability Nexus: Understanding the Interconnected Impact on Populations and the Environment’ (Springer), examines the combined influence of heat and air pollution their implications for global health and the economy.

Reports

Environmental Governance and Policy

Sustainable Solutions to Crop Residue Burning and Air Pollution Cycle in India and Pakistan

Bhargav Krishna, Babar Shahbaz and Annanya Mahajan

Council for Strategic and Defense Research | 22 April 2024

The chapter in the report ‘The Air We Share: Towards Reduced Transboundary Air Pollution across India and Pakistan’ looks at crop residue burning in India and Pakistan, presenting several sustainable solutions – shifting focus away from paddy and wheat towards other crops, coordinating across multiple stakeholders, etc.

SFC Perspectives

Adaptation and Resilience

Climate Policy

Energy Transitions

Environmental Governance and Policy

SFC Perspectives on Adaptation and Resilience, Climate Policy, Energy Transitions, and Environmental Governance and Policy

SFC

SFC | 19 March 2024

SFC Perspectives are intended to stimulate discussion by providing an overview of key issues and avenues for action to inform India’s sustainable development trajectory.

SFC Perspectives

Environmental Governance and Policy

Perspectives on Environmental Governance and Policy: Systemic transformations to limit the health burden of air pollution

Bhargav Krishna, Shibani Ghosh, Arunesh Karkun and Annanya Mahajan

SFC | 18 March 2024

We, at SFC, view reducing air pollution not only as a technical challenge, but also as a structural one that requires re-thinking our approach and the institutions that are tasked with addressing it.

Journal articles

Adaptation and Resilience

Environmental Governance and Policy

Impact of heatwaves on all-cause mortality in India: A comprehensive multi-city study

Jeroen de Bont, Amruta Nori-Sarma et al.

Environment International | 22 February 2024

The authors found strong evidence of heatwave impacts on daily mortality. Longer and more intense heatwaves were linked to an increased mortality risk, however, resulted in a lower burden of heatwave-related deaths.

Opinions

Environmental Governance and Policy

Why closing schools does not protect children from air pollution

Arunesh Karkun and Abinaya Sarkar

Scroll | 28 November 2023

It absolves educational institutions and government agencies of their responsibility towards ensuring clean air while hampering learning outcomes.

Books and book chapters

Environmental Governance and Policy

Media, Politics and Environment: Analyzing Experiences from Europe and Asia

Detlef Briesen and Sarada Prasanna Das

Springer, Cham | 14 June 2023

The book studies how environmental protection is embedded in the political systems by comparing industrialized countries and emerging economies. It brings froward how concrete environmental policy emerges from a complex interplay of mass media and political conflicts.

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Team members

Bhargav Krishna

Convenor, SFC
Coordinator, Environmental Governance and Policy

Shibani Ghosh

Visiting Fellow, Environmental Governance and Policy

Arunesh Karkun

Senior Research Associate, Environmental Governance and Policy

Annanya Mahajan

Senior Research Associate, Environmental Governance and Policy

Ishita Srivastava

Research Associate, Environmental Governance and Policy

Nazneen

Senior Research Associate,
Environmental Governance and Policy