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Nearly one billion people in South Asia breathe some of the most polluted air in the world every day. Thick smog blankets cities, turning skylines gray and streets into invisible corridors of risk. From the industrial belts of the Indo Gangetic Plains to the fragile Himalayan foothills, toxic air is silently affecting health, livelihoods, and the environment. Air pollution contributes to around one million premature deaths each year in the region, reduces life expectancy by more than three years in the most polluted areas, and imposes economic losses estimated at close to 10% of regional GDP through health costs, lost productivity, and environmental damage.
The scale of the crisis is daunting. Yet within it lies a powerful opportunity. The same structural shifts that are driving pollution including rapid urbanization, industrial growth, and rising energy demand can also accelerate the transition to cleaner fuels, renewable energy, and more efficient systems. With strong science, sound policies, and regional cooperation, South Asia can move toward cleaner air while strengthening energy security and climate resilience.
A shared airshed and shared responsibility
Air pollution in South Asia does not stop at city limits or national borders. Fine particulate matter, black carbon, and ozone forming pollutants travel hundreds of kilometers across states and countries. The Indo Gangetic Plains and Himalayan foothills (IGP-HF) function as a single interconnected airshed spanning Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Emissions from coal fired power plants, diesel vehicles, brick kilns, agricultural burning, waste combustion, and traditional biomass cooking accumulate and circulate across this vast region.
This transboundary nature of pollution means that isolated action is not enough. When one jurisdiction reduces emissions, but its neighbors do not, progress is limited. Regional cooperation, coordinated planning, and shared data are essential to deliver meaningful improvements in air quality and public health.
Scientific assessments show that implementing coordinated clean air strategies across South Asia could improve the lives of nearly one billion people. The benefits would extend beyond public health to include stronger labor productivity, lower health expenditures, improved agricultural outcomes, and more resilient ecosystems.
From smog control to systemic transformation
Short term emergency measures during severe smog episodes may provide temporary relief, but they do not address the structural drivers of pollution. What is required instead is a long-term transformation of energy, transport, industry, and agriculture systems.
This is where integrated scientific tools play a crucial role. The Greenhouse gas–Air pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) model developed by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) links emissions, energy use, economic activity, atmospheric processes, population exposure, health impacts, and costs within one analytical framework. It allows policymakers to identify which sources contribute most to population exposure and which interventions deliver the greatest health benefits per unit of investment.
In several South Asian states and countries, this type of analysis has revealed a consistent message. The largest and most cost-effective reductions in fine particulate exposure often come from climate aligned actions such as clean cooking transitions, expansion of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency, electrified transport, and stronger emission standards. Clean air and clean energy progress together.
Energy transition as a clean air strategy
Much of South Asia’s air pollution comes from fossil fuel use and inefficient energy systems. Coal fired power plants, diesel generators, heavy vehicles, traditional brick kilns, and biomass cookstoves release fine particulate matter and harmful gases that damage lungs, shorten lives, and worsen climate change. Reducing reliance on fossil fuels is therefore both a climate and public health priority.
Clean energy transitions are among the most effective ways to improve air quality. Replacing biomass and coal in households with electricity, liquefied petroleum gas, or other modern cooking solutions cuts indoor pollution and lowers exposure outdoors. Expanding renewable energy such as solar, wind, and hydropower reduces emissions from coal-based power, especially when combined with grid upgrades, better transmission, and energy storage.
Energy efficiency in industry, buildings, and appliances reduces fuel use and emissions simultaneously. Electrifying buses, two wheelers, and three wheelers can cut urban pollution significantly when paired with clean electricity. Phasing out the dirtiest fossil fuel technologies delivers immediate health benefits while supporting long term climate goals. Scientific assessments consistently show these measures create powerful co-benefits for both air quality and climate.
Turning analysis into action
Across South Asia, governments are increasingly translating scientific evidence into concrete programs. In India, large scale financing supports air quality management in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. These programs strengthen air quality monitoring, improve emission inventories, and support cleaner transport, industrial emission control, and improved agricultural practices. Expanding access to clean cooking energy, introducing electric buses and three wheelers, and encouraging the replacement of older high polluting vehicles are central components. By taking an airshed approach, these states coordinate with neighboring regions to tackle pollution at its source.
In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a comprehensive clean air program supports improved fuel quality testing, expansion of air quality monitoring networks, promotion of cleaner transport options, and better crop residue management. Investments in electric mobility and cleaner industrial technologies are helping reduce both smog formation and greenhouse gas emissions.
In Nepal, detailed emissions and exposure analyses using the GAINS model laid the foundation for the country’s first comprehensive clean air strategy. The findings highlight the importance of clean household energy, modernization of brick kilns, better urban transport planning, and stronger enforcement of emission standards. Coordinated regional action is particularly important for Nepal given the influence of transboundary pollution across the Himalayan region.
Bangladesh is also pursuing reforms focused on modernizing brick production, strengthening urban air governance, and promoting cleaner transport systems. Efforts to improve energy efficiency and expand renewable energy contribute directly to air quality improvement.
These examples demonstrate how finance, science, and policy can reinforce each other. Investments in clean energy infrastructure, stronger institutions, and regulatory enforcement are guided by analytical tools that identify priority actions and quantify health benefits.
The importance of institutions and cooperation
Achieving sustained improvements in air quality requires more than technical solutions. It demands strong institutions, clear incentives, reliable information, and coordinated governance. Monitoring systems must provide accurate and transparent data. Regulatory agencies must have the authority and capacity to enforce standards. Market incentives must encourage investment in clean technologies. Infrastructure must support shifts toward modern energy and transport systems.
Regional platforms for cooperation are equally important. Shared airsheds require shared strategies. Data exchange, harmonized standards, and coordinated policy design can significantly enhance the effectiveness of national efforts.
A decisive decade
South Asia is at a turning point. Without bold action, rising energy demand, continued reliance on fossil fuels, and rapid urban growth could lock in dangerous levels of air pollution. But this decade also offers a rare opportunity to shift courses by accelerating the transition to clean fuels, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electrification.
Aligning air quality goals with climate and energy strategies delivers multiple dividends. Reducing fossil fuel use and expanding access to clean energy can cut air pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen energy security, and protect public health at the same time.
Clean air is not a luxury. It underpins healthy communities, resilient economies, and sustainable development. With science, cooperation, and decisive leadership, nearly one billion people can look forward to a cleaner, healthier future.