Air pollution claimed over 17 lakh lives in India in 2022: Lancet report

India witnessed deaths of more than 17.18 lakh Indians in 2022 which were linked to air pollution, according to the latest report by Lancet.

Human-caused PM2.5 pollution was responsible for more than 17 lakh deaths in India in 2022, up by 38% since 2010 with use of fossil fuels contributing to 44% of the deaths, according to the ninth edition of ‘Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change'.

“There were over 1,718,000 deaths attributable to anthropogenic air pollution (PM2.5) in 2022 in India, an increase of 38% since 2010. Fossil fuels (coal and liquid gas) contributed to 7,52,000 (44%) of these deaths in 2022,” the authors wrote in a country-related data sheet, accompanying the Lancet report.

Moreover, use of petrol for road transport contributed to 2.69 lakh deaths.

The estimated loss due to these premature deaths was around USD 339.4 billion in 2022, which represents approximately 9.5% of the country’s GDP.

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change publishes an annual assessment examining the connections between climate change and human health. The report evaluates these links using 58 peer-reviewed indicators spanning categories such as health hazards, exposures and impacts, and economics and finance.

This year’s edition introduces new indicators covering exposure to heatwaves, sleep patterns, labour capacity, drought, extreme rainfall, and food security.

A team of 128 scientists from 71 academic institutions and UN agencies collaborated to produce the ninth edition of the report, released on October 29. 

The latest report also features new metrics tracking deaths caused by extreme heat and wildfire smoke, as well as the extent of urban blue spaces such as rivers, lakes, and coastlines.