Originally Posted by
segacs
This.
Crossing the border to Nepal after spending ten days in India was a breath of fresh air -- literally. My cold and cough symptoms, which had been pervasive in the smog of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Varanasi, cleared up like magic. Mind you, I was there in November, which is probably worse than February. But still.
It's a good reminder to all of us: This is what's in our collective futures, if we don't clean up our act. Cities like Delhi, Beijing, etc. show us what we have to look forward to if we don't get serious about reducing emissions.
Back before Court intervention and the big move to CNG for a variety of vehicles, the air in Delhi was so bad that I would get such a bad cough that it wouldn't go away until I got on a plane and landed in South India or somewhere out of the country. The air had improved for a while but it's gotten worse again as population and the number of cars in traffic got way worse.
If you value your health, it's worth a premium to live in a place with less pollution. Even within India, where you go makes a big difference. Eco-disaster-source refugees and internally displaced persons will make conflict zone-source refugees and internally displaced persons seem like a manageable drop in the bucket in comparison.