Thread by @raisinadialogue

We are LIVE tweeting the discussion iBreathe: The Battle for Clean Air with @lordstern1, @priyankac19, @vnigamsinha, and @mitalilive. Join us live for an engaging session! #Raisina2021

.@priyankac19: There is a dichotomy that exists in India. We are on the right track in terms of our climate goals. But we still have 1.7 million deaths attributed to air pollution. 17 of our 20 metro cities are among the worst polluted in the world. #Raisina2021

.@lordstern1: The loss of life every year from air pollution in India is at least five times the total loss from COVID. This is immense. And the immensity of it is not really sufficiently understood.
#Raisina2021

.@lordstern1: Net-zero is not some kind of international conspiracy or some sort of an obsession of eco-warriors. It's basic physics.
#Raisina2021

.@vnigamsinha: We need to get all the stakeholders together to jointly address the issue of air pollution. Enough has been said about the criticality of the issue, much more needs to be really done to make a difference. Good execution is what we should focus on.

.@vnigamsinha: The Union Budget 2021 has allocated a substantial amount for tackling air pollution. But how well is this being implemented and monitored? While running a company, we often believe—if it is not monitored, it's not done.

.@MitaliLive: Three-fourths of India is living in a situation where the PM 2.5 is well beyond the limits even prescribed by the Indian standards.

.@priyankac19: Air pollution cannot be looked at in isolation—there are intersectionalities and inter-linkages that we must understand. We need to consider its impact on women, child mortality, the economy, infrastructure and cities.

.@priyankac19: Just like COVID, air pollution requires coordination and collaboration from all stakeholders. We have to rise above our political differences and make this a key talking point in all policy discussions.

.@lordstern1: It's a last century perspective to say that we can either have growth or the environment. It's a destructive mistake.

.@mitalilive: Are we acting enough in terms of investment—both financially as also on a policy front, to tackle the air quality issue?

.@vnigamsinha: Green and growth go hand in hand. We need more climate entrepreneurs to scale up innovation and move the needle on air quality issues.

.@lordstern1: The poor have to face a disproportionately large impact of air pollution and climate change. They are the ones who are hit the earliest and the hardest. They are also the ones who are least capable of protecting themselves.

.@lordstern1: International financial institutions must work closely with Indian financial institutions to mitigate early-stage risk and support the growth of green infrastructure.

.@mitalilive: The air pollution challenge sits at all intersections—public, private, political, global and local. The time to act is now really, or the time to act was many years back, but alacrity should be exercised now.

We come to a close for our discussion iBreathe: The Battle for Clean Air with @lordstern1, @priyankac19, @vnigamsinha, and @mitalilive. Thankyou for joining us! #Raisina2021 #RaisinaDialogue