Having four times the population density (5900 people per square km vs 1300 numbers are chosen poorly, see exchange with zershuffle in the replies) and way less money to throw at the problem can't help. Not to say that it's hopeless or that India shouldn't try to clean up its air, of course, but the problem at a glance definitely looks tougher to solve for New Delhi than for Beijing
That was actually a mistake on my part, thank you for catching that. It looks like the National Capital Territory of Delhi with a population of 16.8 million would be the better comparison? And that has an even higher density
They should've used another picture of Beijing from the same perspective to demonstrate the difference in smog. Honestly... that picture of the building looks smoggy to me.
Primary schools were forced to shut, vehicles restricted from traveling on roads and construction brought to a halt as a hazy gray enveloped New Delhi, blocking buildings from view and prompting residents to panic buy air purifiers.
New Delhi’s current toxic skies are reminiscent of another major Asian capital that about a decade ago was famous for a smog so thick that it could shroud entire skyscrapers from view: Beijing.
What followed was a rollout of new regulations, including restricting the number of vehicles on the roads in major cities, tightening environmental oversight and controls on emissions, building a nationwide system of air monitoring stations, and reining in coal and other heavy-polluting industries.
Traditionally, toward the end of the year after the winter harvest, millions of farmers clear their leftover rice stubble by setting fields alight to prepare for the incoming wheat crop.
At a nationwide level, India launched its Clean Air Programme in 2019, ushering in strategies across 24 states and union territories to reduce particulate matter concentration by 40% by 2025-26.
To tackle the problem the city this year plans to induce rain to wash away the dust – a method adopted by other Asian countries, including China, Indonesia and Malaysia.
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Emissions standards were enforced on coal power plants, cars were tightly regulated, and home energy was pushed towards gas (which burns with less particulate emissions) or electricity.
India is a democracy, government's got to convince everyone …
India is a federation of ~30 states, with wildly varying levels of democracy. Now this is usually a good thing; it has allowed us to accomodate a great deal of cultural and economic diversity without breaking up. But a major cause of the pollution in Delhi is stubble burning in neighbouring, which the government of Delhi has no power over. And the union (i.e. federal) government is led by a different party, so they don't co-operate with the Delhi government.
Don't be ridiculous, the opinions of the citizens of other countries don't matter! What really matters is how I, the enlightened Westerner feel about it based off of what my country's state media tells me! Chinese people don't know what they really want, which is a new cold war egged on by dangerous hoaxes and sinophobia!
Because corporate profit means more than people. Now that China isn't 'the economy the world is based on' - their production is down AND their pollution is down.
You seem to have mis-read my comment. I did not say that China was an autocracy, I said that it was more autocratic than India - there's a huge difference.
Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power is held by the ruler, known as an autocrat. It includes most forms of monarchy and dictatorship, while it is contrasted with democracy and feudalism.