Nirmal

I lived in Beijing through the peak of "aipocalypse". At times, it felt like death. But even back then, it seemed like both people and the govt. were taking it seriously. We remained masked when outside or cooped up in our air purified rooms a lot, schools were closed on worst days, cars were restricted, factories were moved. It triggered a national response, and dramatic changes in citizen behavior for them to turn around the air. Today it is blue skies, people are out and about at all times, and AQI is comparable with many of the least polluted cities globally. Delhi is 2-3x worse on average these days. I've seen screenshots of AQI numbers in many parts of India today that would have put Beijing's worst days to shame. Yet I see people (dare i say even the most educated) arguing about their "right" to continue polluting the air like their life depends on it. Yes your life does depend on it. And yes, you are shortening it by polluting it more. I'm truly hoping the scary current scenes lead to a national scale response, but also in individual response. More masks, purifiers, and reluctance to go out when it is at its worst. If what it takes is for the economy to get impacted further, for those in power to take action - so be it. But this just cannot go on any further. Truly shocking. – at San Francisco, CA