US President Donald Trump at debate: Look at India. The
air is filthy
China Tops The List
The 20 countries that emitted the most carbon dioxide in 2018
| Rank | Country | CO2 emissions (total) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 10.06GT |
| 2 | United States | 5.41GT |
| 3 | India | 2.65GT |
| 4 | Russian Federation | 1.71GT |
Indians have reacted to US president Donald Trump describing the
air in India, China and Russia as “filthy” during the final
election debate.
His remarks drew both anger and introspection, with some Indians
asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take notice.
Others agreed that capital Delhi’s air was among the most foul
in the world.
In recent weeks, the city’s air quality has turned “severe”,
with residents complaining of breathing difficulties.
India’s dreaded pollution season has returned as levels of PM2.5
– dangerous tiny pollutants in the air – in the capital have
averaged around 180-300 micrograms per cubic metre in recent weeks,
12 times higher than the WHO’s safe limits. Delhi air quality
chart
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“Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India.
It’s filthy. The air is filthy. I walked out of the Paris Accord as
we had to take out trillions of dollars and we were treated very
unfairly,” Mr Trump said talking about the decision to pull out of
the Paris Climate Accord which aims to cap global warming “well
below” 2C.
While his comments about China may not be strictly true,
they have resonated with many in India.
The air in several cities in northern India is especially bad in
winter months – November to February – when several factors, such
as farmers burning crop stubble to clear their fields, vehicular
and industrial pollution, festive fireworks and low wind speed,
contribute to what doctors calls is a “deadly cocktail of poisonous
gases”. Despite the spikes in air pollution year after year, few
concrete steps have been taken to control it. A farmer burns straw
stubble after harvest ing a paddy crop, in a field near Jandiala
Guru, on October 17, 2020 in Amritsar, Indiaimage copyrightGetty
Images image captionBurning of crop remains is a major source of
air pollution in India
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On Friday morning, soon after Mr Trump’s remarks, “filthy” and
“Howdy! Modi” rose to the top of trends on Twitter.
The “Howdy, Modi!” event, held in Houston in September 2019 was
attended by nearly 50,000 people. It was billed as one of the
largest ever receptions for a foreign leader in the US and Mr Trump
had called it a “profoundly historic event”.
A senior leader of India’s opposition Congress party, Kapil
Sibal, asked if President Trump’s remark on India’s air was the
“fruits of friendship” between the leaders of both the countries
and a result of Howdy! Modi.
Many pointed to Mr Trump’s visit to India in February
this year when Mr Modi put on a grand show for his “good friend”,
complete with songs, dances and a mega reception at a cricket
stadium. Narendra Modi, Donald Trump and Melania
Trumpimage copyrightGetty Images image
captionNarendra Modi has often described Donald Trump as his “good
friend”
Following the remarks, many tweeted screenshots of the Air
Quality Index in Delhi which has risen to “severe” levels in parts
of the city.
Writer Kiran Manral tweeted that “air reaches levels of toxicity
every single year”.
“Instead of getting all insulted and upset, can we just take it
up as a challenge to clean up our surroundings and our air? So no
one can ever dare say that again,” she wrote.
The spike in the air quality in recent weeks is bad news for
India’s fight against coronavirus because several studies around
the world have linked air pollution to higher Covid-19 case numbers
and deaths.
And doctors and epidemiologists have warned that toxic air will
only hamper India’s fight against the virus.
Here are the 10 countries with the most pollution:
- India (72.54)
- Afghanistan (61.8)
- Bahrain (59.8)
- Mongolia (58.5)
- Kuwait (56)
- Nepal (54.15)
- United Arab Emirates (49.93)
- Nigeria (44.84)