India's Oldest Industry Body FICCI Warns Air Pollution Costs $95 Billion Annually

India's oldest and largest industry body, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), has issued one of its strongest warnings yet on the country's worsening air pollution crisis, painting a grim picture of a public health emergency that is costing millions of lives, shortening lifespans and imposing a massive burden on the economy. In its report, 'Clean Air, Healthy India', FICCI argues that the country can no longer treat air pollution as merely an environmental issue and must instead place it at the heart of India's healthcare agenda. Experts say India is grappling air pollution-related emergency, and the government seems to be in policy paralysis.

The Air Quality Index is breaking records, and out of the 100 most polluted cities of the world, 99 are from India. Nearly a billion Indians are breathing toxic air.The report's findings are stark. More than two million deaths in India in 2023 were attributable to air pollution.

Exposure to polluted air is estimated to cut the average Indian's life expectancy by about 3.5 years.