THE WORLD BANK’S 2025 REPORT

News: According to the report- A Breath of Change -nearly one billion people in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills (IGP-HF) breathe the world’s most polluted air, necessitating urgent transboundary cooperation

ABOUT

• Strategic solutions book that moves beyond diagnosing air pollution to providing a practical, multi-sectoral roadmap for the IGP-HF airshed
• Covers 13 jurisdictions across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• Solutions through “4Is” framework

The 4Is:

• Information: Strengthen real-time air quality monitoring and deploy satellite-based GeoAI tools to detect and track pollution hotspots such as brick kilns.
• Incentives: Rationalise fossil fuel and fertiliser subsidies and redirect financial support towards clean technologies like electric vehicles and Happy Seeders.
• Institutions: Define clear legal mandates through dedicated Clean Air Acts and set up a permanent regional secretariat to enhance coordination.
• Infrastructure: Scale up investments in regional power grids, EV charging infrastructure, and shared industrial boilers to achieve large-scale emission reductions.

Key highlights

• Exposure to PM₂.₅ reduces average life expectancy in the region by more than three years.
• The IGP-HF region records the highest levels of air pollution globally, with PM₂.₅ levels 8 to 20 times the WHO guideline.
• Air pollution causes approximately one million premature deaths annually in the IGP-HF region.
• The “35 by 35” target aligns with the WHO’s first interim target for cleaner air.