Air Pollution
Imagine if your school had to close because the air outside was too polluted to breathe. That's what happened in India's capital New Delhi recently. Students and teachers there have since petitioned the government to do something about it. But they aren't the only kids in the world struggling to breathe safely.
It's all around you; you can't really see it, or smell it, and even though it keeps you alive, in Australia you probably don't think about it that much!
But if you lived in a city like this one - the air would be a whole lot more noticeable. This is Delhi, the capital of India. It's the fifth most populated city on the planet and it's one of the most polluted. The smog you can see here is a mixture of fog, smoke and other air pollution. It comes from dust, cars, burning fossil fuels like coal, burning waste and recently even fireworks let off for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
Air pollution is measured by how many harmful particles are floating around and it doesn't take many of them to start making air toxic. The World Health Organisation has set levels that it considers still safe for people to breathe, but lately Delhi's air pollution levels have risen to 90 times past that safe point. The air was so bad that India's government decided to close 1,800 schools for three days, halted all construction and warned people to stay indoors for their own safety.
SHEFALI VERMA, DELHI RESIDENT: The children are locked behind doors, prisoners behind their masks.
SHUNIL JUNEJA, DELHI RESIDENT: I've been a citizen of Delhi for 30 years. Never, never have I felt this way.
When people breathe in too many polluted particles it can cause serious, even life-threatening, health conditions like lung diseases, and young people are particularly vulnerable because their bodies are still growing.
PANKAJ, STUDENT: It causes a lot of difficulty in breathing. When I go for my morning walks these days, I realise that the air pollution levels have increased a lot.
Many students and teachers in Delhi took to the streets wearing masks to protest for India's government to do more to protect people.
IMAN, 12-YEAR-OLD STUDENT: I'm here to fight for my right to breathe, I feel imprisoned at home because of health advisories that I can't go out without a mask. So, I think it's high time we realised we need to do something about pollution in Delhi.
But Delhi isn't the only city in the world where the hazy air is a big problem. These maps show where air pollution is worst. It's mostly in developing countries and in many places it's on the rise. The UN children's fund says about 300 million kids, or one in seven in the world are breathing dangerous air. It's not just outside air pollution that's harmful. In many developing countries, people burn coal and wood inside their homes to cook or keep warm and end up breathing in the particles.
But a lot of countries, including India, have been working to try to reduce their air pollution levels. Some have banned people from driving old, polluting cars - encouraging them to buy clean, green ones instead - or they're trying to reduce the total number of cars on the road. Others are making renewable energy a priority.
It's still going to take some time, but it's hoped one day governments can help clear the air for kids everywhere.
- Amelia Moseley | Reporter
- Ask A Reporter: Session | aar
- Delhi closes schools, halts construction to tackle pollution: ABC News | weblink
- New Delhi smog selfies show 'poison' covering city: ABC News | weblink
- Almost one in seven children suffer due to high air pollution, UNICEF says: ABC News | weblink
- Air Pollution: National Geographic | weblink
- India | Map
- Air Pollution | Worksheet
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