Surviving climate change- Air and AIR-INK

90% of the Earth's population is exposed to polluted air i.e. 9 out of 10 people breathe unhealthy air. The implications are absolutely clear. Urban areas, especially metropolises, are the worst affected. 

◾ Life in a Gas Chamber

“I'm getting out of here one of these days,” said a resident of Mexico City. “The ecologists are right. We live in a gas chamber.” For several years, Mexico city topped the list of the most polluted capitals, thus prompting writer Carlod Fuentes to nickname the city as “Makesicko City.”

Mexico's problems are an indication of a general dilemma around the globe. 

◾ Rajdhaani becomes Badshah

The city of New Delhi has now replaced Mexico City as the most polluted capital in the world. Air pollution is the fifth largest killer in India, estimated to kill 1.5 million people annually. Air quality in Delhi has been the worst since 1999. The main reasons behind this soaring pollution:

1. Traffic Menace: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and NEERI have declared vehicular emission as a major contributor. "Car exhaust fumes cause more deaths than traffic accidents."

2. Less investment on public infrastructure.

3. Large scale and mindless construction activites.

4. Crop burning by farmers in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The winds carry the pollutants in National Capital Region (NCR) spiking the PM levels in the air. 

5. As winter sets in, pollutants get locked in  the still air resulting in smog. The Great Smog of Delhi in 2017, initiated genuine efforts to curb air pollution. 

◾ Major incidents during The Great Smog

• Low visibility resulted in accidents across the city, notably a 24 vehicle pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway.

• Declaration of Health Emergency stalling day-to-day activities.

• In December 2017, during a test match between SriLanka and India in New Delhi. Sri Lankan players reported breathing problems and vomitings due to smog and had to use face masks on the field. 

• The more polluted a city, the higher the rate of mortality. All this leads to lowered productivity besides having a general unpleasant mood. 

What should be done to curb air pollution? Several measures have been taken to combat it. 

How about... using air pollution as a raw material to manufacture a product? Sounds quite entrepreneurial right? 

◾The product is AirInk.

The narrative goes like this:

‘Instead of fearing pollution, why not use it to create something new and productive while reducing it side-by-side??’ Mr. Anirudh Sharma, along with his team, invented a machine, a sort of filter which should be installed in everyone's cars. This filter filters out all the suspended particles from car emissions and only pure air is exhausted out. The particles absorbed are collected over a period of time, are filtered again to separate heavy metals like lead and other chemicals to obtain pure carbon. This carbon/soot is absolutely pure and is used to make black ink named AirInk. This ink is as normal as our daily black ink with the only difference that it creates pure air for the sake of its production. It can be used by everyone and is currently used by artists across 6-8 countries including India. Artists quoted it as much better and long lasting with a perfect black color. 

Isn't it amazing??

It is estimated that capturing only 30% of polluted air from vehicular emissions could entirely replace ink production by AirInk.

We all are aware of the fact that vehicular emissions are a leading cause of air pollution. This small installment, when started on a smaller scale by each individual who owns a vehicle, would make us breathe healthier and also encourage our artists and the young to create new art and heritage while preserving the ancient.