When I moved to the United States from India in 2024, the biggest improvement was the air. Having grown up in the city of Bengaluru in southern India, my lungs were accustomed to an air quality index (AQI) that is among the worst in the world. But in my new home, New York City, I could walk for longer without feeling breathless; my nostrils were not accosted by the acrid smell of smog, thick with PM2.5 — minute particles (2.5 micrometers or smaller) of airborne dust, soot, chemicals, and metals that enter our bloodstream and make us sick.

I’m currently visiting family in Bengaluru, where the smog is bad but not as bad as in the country’s capital, New Delhi, where residents recently rose up in a rare protest to demand clean, breathable air. New Delhi’s AQI has been particularly high these past few months, surpassing all thresholds of danger. By some estimates, this exposure could shave nearly 12 years off the lives of residents.

Reading about the protest, I felt grateful for the US Clean Air Act, the federal law that regulates air pollution in order to protect public health. But last week, the Trump administration abruptly changed how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforces certain parts of this act. As The New York Times reported, “the EPA would no longer take health effects into account in the cost-benefit analyses necessary for clean-air regulations.” Not surprisingly, experts have criticized how this move ignores the public health harms of air pollution and grants impunity to offending sources — like we see in India.

From India to the US, leaders have taken an industry-first approach that’s exposing their citizens to the myriad health risks of air pollution. It’s past time for them to take a stand and use all the tools in their arsenals to protect people and the planet.

As I wrap up my time in India and prepare to return to New York, I cannot help but think how our ability to breathe clean, fresh air — in both countries — is contingent upon our respective governments prioritizing human health over wealth.

Photo by Saakshi Yadav

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