When the going is good, collective action is not required; but, when air quality deteriorates to the levels now, action is vital for our survival. Historically, there have been a number of smog episodes around the world; the two most famous ones are a series of eight in London between 1948 and 1962, of which the one in 1952 was the worst, and the Donora, Pennsylvania, episode in 1948. Declining urban air quality and the resulting respiratory ailments are on the rise. Is this really the quality of life that we wanted while building our urban agglomerations? Last week, the Chinese media reported that Beijing is to shut down its largest coal plant on the outskirts of the city, and, ironically, on the same day, Indian newspapers reported that Delhi would be reopening the coal power plant located on its outskirts.

The plant was shut down, in the first instance, to alleviate pollution in the capital. Yet, it seems that it is needed to reduce the electricity supply deficit. Policies and actions such as this beg the question: Is there no alternative? With greater technological innovations, can we not collectively find a solution to curb pollution? Air pollution problems are not only restricted to the middle-income countries, but are a problem in their developed counterparts, too. Note, a primary driver of air pollution is the geography of a place. For instance, both Delhi and Beijing are similar, in the sense that both cities are landlocked and surrounded by mountains, which restricts air movement. With little or no wind, the pollution hangs heavy and is not dispersed through natural means.