Why India should tackle pollution more urgently than tariffs
The adverse impact of pollution could lead to significant health and economic costs for India if left unchecked
Former International Monetary Fund chief economist Gita Gopinath made the comments at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, arguing that investors considering India would have to factor its environment because it “is going to be consequential for health”.
Such a milestone, however, should complement efforts to improve India’s air quality, particularly in its cities, to lure foreign investors, according to analysts.
“Addressing that on a war footing is critical. This has to be a top mission for India,” Gopinath, who served as the IMF’s chief economist between 2019 and 2022, said last week.
Quoting a World Bank study, the American Indian economist said that about 1.7 million lives were lost in 2019 in India, or almost 20 per cent of overall deaths, because of pollution. “Even from an international investor’s perspective … the pollution holds you back.”