In recent years, researchers have focused their efforts on determining the
causes of urban environmental pollution. We examined the relationship between
urban environmental pollutant emissions and migrant populations at the
prefectural level to determine whether migrant populations have a significant
impact on urban environments.
Our study's main findings were as follows:
- The size and density of migrant populations have a significant impact on environmental emissions. Migrant populations, in particular, have a negative impact on the Air Quality Index (AQI) and PM2.5 emissions while having a positive effect on NO2 and CO2 emissions.
- Migrant populations had an 8 to 30 times lower impact on urban environmental air pollutants than local populations.
- Urban environmental pollutant emissions differ significantly throughout cities due to differences in industrial structures, public transportation facilities, and population densities.
Legitimacy in policy enforcement is a
strong predictor of policy success. Growing demand for green cities, combined
with increased transparency in governance, will reduce pollution and traffic
congestion.
Introduction
Air pollution is not merely a nuisance and a threat to health. It is a reminder
that our most celebrated technological achievements- the automobile's, the jet
plane , the power plant, industry in general, and indeed the modern city are, in
the face of environmental failure[1]
Human history has frequently seen people moving from one place to another in
need of better economic prospects. People migrate to access these new
opportunities while certain locations and industries remain behind in terms of
their ability to support populations. Due to a shift in the labour into
industrialising areas, industrialization widens the gap between rural and urban
communities.
The reasons that lead populations to change from those that emphasise individual rationality and household behaviour to those that relate to
the unit of capitalist development are the subject of significant debate.
Air pollution is the world's leading single environmental health risk, impacting
not only people's mental and physical health, but also one's subjective
well-being. People should first take measures to safeguard themselves, such as
restricting their outdoor activities, acquiring protective equipment, and even
choosing to emigrate away from heavily polluted cities as pollution levels
increase. The latter brings public and academic focus on the phenomenon of
migration caused by environmental pollution.
Citizens who have spent their entire lives in the Delhi-NCR region have made the
difficult decision to relocate in past years, as concern regarding air pollution
has grown. However, this phenomenon appears to be limited to the billionaire
class. In fact, according to a recent online survey carried out by The Economic
Times[2], 78% of the 2,272 respondents cited "high levels of pollution" as the
main reason for wanting to evacuate India's metropolitan cities; 30% needed to
end within five years, and another 26% were simply waiting for the right job to
come along.
This year, a Pollution Coping Survey was conducted to evaluate
residents' reactions to the region's air pollution levels. More than 17,000
participants reacted, with 40% simply stating they would much rather leave
Delhi-NCR and relocate elsewhere to avoid the toxic air. The decision to migrate
due to pollution has risen from 35% in the past year's survey, with this being
dependent on the capacity to find work elsewhere.
But to Trace the people of India whether they will migrate or not due to Air
pollution is a very difficult task because there are major benefits to live in
urban area as comparison to rural area because there are more economic benefit
of living in big cities as well as more job opportunity, more profit generation,
better medical and health facilities, superior infrastructure which make them
adjust to even in higher polluted cities.
These factors actually create huge
in-migration flows into such areas, in which economic growth is a swap for
pollution-related harms .However due to toxicity in the polluted environment,
People have assumed that the economic benefits presented by polluted cities are
not worth the cost to their wellbeing and the future of their children.
As the
cluster of "Pollution Refugee" or "Air pollution Migrants" has been growing
slowly, speedily and even causing permanent disaster to the urban people- voyage
with a better quality of air and life.
Researchers around the world had noticed that air pollution and environmental
degradation have a vast impact on people to migrate from one place to another in
search of better health and there is a huge impact on outflows and inflows of
people to migrate and in this context China is a notable example, where Beijing
declared a "war on pollution" following high-profile global coverage of the 2013
"apocalypse."
According to a 2017 study conducted in China by the National
Bureau of Economic Research [3] , amidst regulatory barriers on migration and
its rising costs, there has been an increase in human mobility with increasing
air pollution. It was noticed that a county with a 10% increase in air pollution
over the duration of a year would experience a 2.7% decrease in population.
A
few surveys from the Czech Republic confirm the critical effects of air
pollution on immigration levels, demonstrating that air pollution can become a
big threat, driving out-migration or blocking in-migration. Another empirical
study conducted at the regional governments in Italy suggested that
environmental pollution has started to occur in the future in the public domain,
and that it will eventually cause larger human outflows to places with a higher
quality of life.
India is particularly susceptible to the consequences of climate change, with
nearly 68% of the country vulnerable to drought, 60% sensitive to earthquakes,
and 75% helpless to cyclones and tsunamis. These physical factors, associated
with the country's large population density, poverty levels, rapid population
growth, and ecological pollution, make it the country most vulnerable to
disaster-related damage and displacement in South Asia.
However, there is little
awareness of the impact of climate change on human mobility in India, and there
is a significant gap in policies at the national and state levels at the
crossroads of climate change and migration.
Process Of Air Quality To Be Monitored
Air quality is an important concern in India. Understanding real-time air
quality has therefore become a societal requirement. The National Ambient Air
Quality System (NAAQS), which supervises pollutants, allows for this.
Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ammonia,
Carbon Monoxide, Ozone, and Benzene are tested at 49 monitoring stations
throughout the Delhi NCR, 2019 [4]
This information from genuine monitors allows authorities to recognise long-term
trends, display data in minutes, issue warnings during critical times, and
develop action plans to meet norms (CPCB, 2019). A complex mixture of thousands
of pollutants causes air pollution. The WHO Worldwide Air Quality Guidelines
provide global advice on key air pollutants that are dangerous to human health
[5] . Particulates (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulphur dioxide
(SO2) are illustrations (WHO, 2021). WHO guidelines, initially established in
2005, were recently updated in 2021 to reflect how even low levels of pollutants
can have serious health effects.
Air pollution is the single greatest threat to human health, according to the
World Health Organisation, provoking an estimated 7 million premature deaths
globally each year (WHO, 2021). Particulate Matter (PM) is a common sign of air
pollution. It has a greater effect on individuals than other pollutants, and
even at very low levels, it has brief health consequences.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that 4.2 million people die
annually due to air pollution and most of these deaths occurred in developing
countries [6] . The major air pollutants that define the air quality over a
region are carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx),
volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone (O3) and respirable particulate matter.
Epidemiological and toxicological studies reported that these pollutants can
induce various respiratory and cardiovascular diseases like nose and throat
irritation, bronchial inflammation, epithelial damage, childhood asthma, lung
inflammation and dyspnoea and can enhance mortality and morbidity. Moreover,
particulate matter with a diameter less than 10 �m was able to reach the upper
respiratory tract.
Brain Drain Of Polluted Cities
The far-reaching consequences of polluted air require government intervention to
safeguard community well-being. China [7], European countries [8], and the
United States [9] have imposed air pollution regulations and prevention
policies. Although a variety of laws are in place, previous studies have shown
mixed results because of the limited effectiveness of environmental regulations
and unfulfilled desired air pollution control goals.
Despite the fact that legal
provisions are in place, the race for wealth creation has exacerbated an already
bad air pollution situation. As a consequence, in addition to initiatives,
individuals are actively seeking a variety of ways to minimise the effects of
pollution. Residents may buy particulate-filtering face masks [10] , prefer
short-term avoidance travel and leisure - time activities, and save themselves
from outdoor activities.
Another potential precaution is cross-national movement of people, which takes
place when individuals move from heavily polluted countries to clean and
efficient ones. The brain drain effect occurs when highly skilled workers leave
their current jobs, interrupting the transfer of intellectual capital. For more
than 50 years, scientists have been analysing the concept of brain drain and due
to this the research branch has started expanding, and the phenomenon is being
studied in a wide range of fields.
According to the Fragile States Index[11] ,
In the brain drain, India's ranking in world fragility Index continued worsening
[12] after the Modi government came to power with a lower Human Flight and Brain
Drain Index and an overall fragility rank of 114th. However, the index remains
concerning when compared to other countries in the region.
Is Migration A Response To Air Pollution
When the AQI attains urgent situation levels, those who can do so should stay
indoors and, if they can afford it, buy air purifiers for their homes[13] .
Revenue is falling for businesses and restaurants. Households with adequate
resources can escape to Himalayan hill retreats or the Goa coasts, a luxury
which most people do not have. Some Delhi NCR malls have heavily invested on the
poor conditions by installing air purifiers and luring crowds for clean air
rather than shopping.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), it is a type of
human mobility in which people have more authority and make decisions and
choices about where they want to go. The IOM also predicts that the number of
people migrating will grow as a result of the negative effects of climate change
and destruction of the environment on their livelihoods, daily lives, and health
[14].
The concept that environmental degradation has an influence on migration
is not new. Many academics, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), have argued that climate change is likely to result in mass
population migration as a result of extreme weather conditions as well as
gradual environmental issues.
Air pollution can have three main features on a person's migration decision:
physical health, mental health, and job satisfaction. People would not want to
live in a city that causes them to be physically or mentally ill, nor would they
want to reside in a city where they do not want to work due to toxic levels of
air pollution. Apart from having a negative impact on physical health, air
pollution has an important negative impact on mental health, causing a reduction
in the quality of life. This may start encouraging adults to leave places where
they feel mentally ill.
Who Moved, And What Are The Implication
The estimate of net migration outflows using census figures [15] , so we realised the individual characteristics of the people who migrated. For example,
we observed that degree holders were twice as likely as junior high school
graduates to migrate. Women were twice as likely as men to migrate, and prior to
adulthood were also more likely to shift. In a nutshell, these inflows are
driven mainly by well-educated individuals at the beginning of their
professional careers. These patterns, combined with the peak value of the
effect, reveal that air pollution has already adversely affected the demographic
characteristics of India's regions.
When addressing economic growth, the environment is commonly considered as a
contributing issue. It is still broadly accepted that the problem of pollution
will be dealt with by future generations. The findings show that presently, the
costs of pollution surpass [16] the significant economic benefits of residing in
some large cities. Pollution has both environmental and economic consequences,
and it is driving natural ability out of major cities. We hope that this serves
as a wake-up call to the fact that pollution is shaping the demography and
economy of our cities, and that the environmental consequences of growth must be
regarded in our policy.
India has nine of the top ten cities in the world with the highest annual Fine
particulate matter (IQAir, 2021), with over one million deaths each year
contributing to PM2.5 ,High PM2.5 levels contribute to poor air quality, which
is exacerbated by Diwali fireworks [17] . In 2017, it is estimated that air
pollution killed 1.24 million people in India, with Delhi having one of the
highest levels of particulate matter air pollution in the country.
The geography
of Delhi differs, with major features for example the River Yamuna, the Godavari
range, and the plains in between made of alluvial deposits of the latest
structure [18] . The Delhi Mountain range and its four sections, northern,
central, south central, and southern, cover the much more northern and eastern
extension of the Aravalli hills, to spurs meeting the Yamuna at two points in
the north and east.
The Ridge helps as an ecological barrier between the Thar Desert and the plains,
trying to slow the movement of dust and wind from the valley. Moreover, the
city's two main geographical features are the Yamuna River and the port part of
the Godavari hill range. The Godavari hill range is densely forested.
As from the gathered national standard data from 62 jurisdictions worldwide [19]
, which include 58 countries. Of the world's 136.06 million sq.km land under
national jurisdictions, 71.70 million km2 (52.7%) lack a formal PM2.5 air
quality standard, and 3.17 billion people live in areas without a level of
quality. The existing regulations ranged from 8 to 75 g/m3, all of which were
above the World Health Organisation's annual limit of 10 g/m3. The lowest PM2.5
standards were regularly exceeded, while the tougher standards were more often
met. Several of the most populous jurisdictions proved compliance with fairly
strict standards.
To facilitate accurate assessment of the hazards associated with PM2.5 exposure,
the indicators used in PM2.5 standards for ambient air quality should be blended
globally. Stringent PM2.5 requirements are not based solely on population
density. Standardisation can also include brief standards to disclose PM2.5
peaks and troughs in high-pollution areas.
Air Quality And Environmental Injustice In India
Scientists and supervisors have multiple times described the situation as a
public health crisis and it has evolved into one of the country's most heinous
cases of environmental injustice, aggravated by the frequent pseudo-actions and
hyperbole swirling around it.
Annually, the Judicial Branch steps up to cover for a lack of political will.
People protest passively and, when action is taken, its incapability. The
governments of Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana are attempting to play musical chairs
with blame [20] . Almost everyone knows at the end of winter that the air will
continue to suck the city's residents the following winter. But, while our soul
is quick to bat an eye, how much responsibility do we, the urban elite, bear?
It is clearly well known that the situation is beyond control, that it has
evolved into a disaster that lurks in the shadows during the summer, beckoning
us into a false sense of safety, and then emerges as a full-fledged crisis in
the winter.
The Indian Supreme Court has commonly stated the state to give a response, often
in a specific direction - but is such intervention beneficial? Climate policy
may not be within the court's domain of expertise, and the jury should not be
making policies. However, the absence of action in that respect necessitates
court intervention. The Indian Constitution is one of the few sovereign
documents in the world with natural physical provisions.
The directive
principles of state policy are not legally binding, but they must guide state
policy. And a forthright judicial system will ensure that the state abides by
them. It is challenging to describe environmental justice. It first emerged as a
concept in the USA in the early 1980s. It is described by the US Environmental
Protection Agency as "the equitable treatment and meaningful participation of
all people, regardless of race, colour, national origin, or income, in the
growth, implementation, and implementation of environmental laws, regulations,
and policies" [21]. However, as the number of stakeholders grows, it becomes
more difficult to define fair treatment for and by whom.
Even so, accessing the web of environmental justice is difficult. The Supreme
Court recently ordered the Centre , as well as the governments of Punjab,
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, to address stubble burning, a big source of
air pollution in Delhi [ 22] . When the authorities argued that farmers react to
crop-burning because the glass between the rabi and kharif seasons is so
limited, the bench responded that it had no sympathy for farmers because "they
are doing it with complete knowledge," and that the situation is so severe that
farmers must face strict action.
However, the problem is more complicated.
Before governments can put a stop to crop-burning, systemic issues such as
economic distress and labour shortages must be addressed. The court's orders do
not provide long-term solutions, but rather force government officials to take
immediate action.
Laws And Constitutional Provisions Related To Environment
Constitutional Provisions:
Preamble:
The Preamble of the Indian Constitution provides that our nation is
based on a social structure, in which the state prioritises societal issues
before personal matters. Its objective is to ensure that everyone enjoys a
decent level of living, which is only feasible in an environment that is free
from pollution. Given that pollution is a social issue, the State is obliged
under the Supreme Law to focus more on this issue.
Fundamental Rights:
Ten essential responsibilities are contained in Part 4A,
which was added to the Constitution by the 42nd Amendment of 1976. One of these
ten duties, Article 51A(g), is related to the environment. Every citizen has a
fundamental obligation to protect and enhance the natural environment, as per
Article 51A(g).
Directive Principles of State Policy:
These guidelines, which are included in
Part 4 of the Constitution, explain the chosen value that the state is required
to follow. The Directive principles are addressed in Articles 36 to 51, and
particularly, Articles 47 [23] and 48A concern protecting the environment.
Fundamental Rights:
The Constitution's chapter 3 concerns fundamental rights.
Articles 14 to 32 cover fundamental rights; of these, Articles 14, 19, and 21
relate to the environment.
Writ Jurisdiction:
Articles 32 and 226 give the Supreme Court and High Court the
power to issue writs. The writ jurisdiction of S.C. and H.C. differ in that we
can move to S.C. only to enforce fundamental human rights, although in H.C. we
can move for both fundamental rights and other purposes. As writ jurisdiction is
used to settle the majority of environment issues, these rules are essential to
the advancement of Indian environmental law.
Acts Made by legislature:
The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
Any violation of these laws, or any order or decision made by the government in
full compliance with these laws, may be countered before the NGT. Importantly,
the NGT has not been given the authority to hear cases relating to the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972, the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and various state laws
relating to forests, tree preservation, and so on [24].
As a result, specific
and significant issues pertaining to these laws cannot be raised before the NGT.
You must file a Writ Petition (PIL) with the State High Court or the Supreme
Court, or file an Original Suit with an appropriate Civil Judge in the mandal
where the project is located.
A fee of Rs. 1000/- is required for every application / appeal in which there is
no claim for remuneration. In the occurrence that compensation is sought, the
fee will be one percent of the amount sought, with a minimum of Rs. 1000/-.
Compensation claims can be made for:
- Compensation for accidents involving hazardous substances; Property
restitution;
- Environmental restitution for areas determined by the NGT
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 (the "Air Act") is an
act which provides for the prevention, control, and eradication of air
pollution, and the formation of Boards at the Central and State levels to carry
out such purposes.
The Air Pollution Act(1981) established ambient air quality standards to tackle
the issues associated with air pollution. The Air Act aims to reduce air
pollution by prohibiting the use of polluting fuels and toxins and regulating
air smog appliances. The Air Act enables the State Government to declare any
area or areas within the State as an air pollution control area or areas after
consulting with the SPCB [25]
According to the Act, they require SPCBs'
permission before creating or operating any industrial plant in the pollution
prevention area. SPCBs will also be used to test the air in air pollution
control areas, in addition to inspect pollution control equipment and
manufacturing processes.
The Environment Protection Act, 1986 [26]
The Environment Protection Act,1986 Act empowers the government to take measures
to protect and improve the environment's quality of life by establishing
standards for emissions and discharges of pollution into the ambience by any
person carrying on an industry or activity; regulating this same location of
industries; managing hazardous wastes; and protecting public health and welfare.
The Central Government may issue notifications under the Environment Act for the
protection of ecologically sensitive areas or guidance for matters under the
Environmental Protection act from time to tim
In India, the central and state governments have taken a number of measures to
reduce air pollution and improve air quality. A few initiatives, such as the use
of liquefied natural gas (CNG) as a renewable fuels, the odd-even measures
implemented in Delhi, the execution of Bharat Stage VI vehicle and fuel
standards, the Pradhan Mantra Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), and the National Clean Air
Research program (NCAP), are examples of this initiative[27] .
With the
cooperation of the respective state pollution control boards, the Central
pollution control board ensures the monitoring and regulation of National
ambient air quality in cities, towns, and industrial areas (SPCBs). Various
industry measures have been implemented in India's urban cities under these
plans.
A fusion of effective policies, techniques, and framework defines could aid in
the development of an energy control strategy. Stiffer discharge limits, cleaner
fuels, engine progressions, the creation of cleaner and greener vehicles, and
post-emission treatment technologies could greatly decrease urban pollution
levels. Concrete policy measures that limit people's exposure to air pollutants
could be implemented.
Migrating industries to the outskirts of cities is a good
example to consider .Limiting pollution from burning fuel could help to reduce
pollution. From 2001 to 2006, the use of CNG-powered vehicles in Delhi reduced
PM, CO, NOX, and SO2 emissions significantly.
Suggestions And Discussion
Air Pollution will lead to Mass Migration if it continues to grow at a bigger
speed which will impact on our climate change. As air pollution does not respect
boundaries of nations, it will lead to environmental degradation due to which
many migrations will take place in the upcoming future.
As various action can be take place to combat air pollution such as:
- Conserve energy everywhere whether at home, work or anywhere.
- For effective vapour recovery, follow the directions for refuelling with gasoline. Be cautious not to spill any fuel, and make sure the gas cap is properly tightened.
- Think about switching to gas logs from wood.
- When it's cooler in the evening, fill up your automobile.
- Set air conditioners to no lower than 78 degrees to save energy.
- Put off or wait until later in the day any lawn and gardening tasks that require gasoline-powered equipment.
This paper enriches the literature in the following three ways: First, the above
study utilised high-accuracy PM2.5 satellite raster data and India data to
precisely identify the effects of air pollution on migrants' settlement
intentions at the micro level. The study's robust findings provide new evidence
for migrants' residential choices. Second, in order to reduce the adverse
effects of intrinsic problems on the results of this paper, this study
introduces the air flow ratio as a tool variable of PM2.5 in addition to
controlling city characteristics and fixed effects.
Third, this paper theoretically reveals and provides appropriate data for the
micro-mechanism whereby air quality may affect high-quality economic development
via channels such as human capital accumulation. Despite the fact that all
features normalise to high predictive power, the way different urban form
indicators react to the dependent variable varies. Shape metrics, particularly
CONTIG, have the biggest effect on PM2.5 trends in cities belonging to the
high-high cluster, Eastern, and large urban enclaves.
All of these areas have a successful economy and a higher population density.
Accumulation metrics[28] play a dominant negative role in PM2.5 level changes in
decently developed cities, such as the Central region, as well as smaller and
mid-sized cities. In contrast, the indicators describing the size and number of
urban patches are the strongest predictors in the least developed cities
belonging to the Indian region.
Conclusion
As per the results of the study, urbanisation in Increasing emphasis
environmental pressure and, to some extent, contradicts air quality improvement.
However, the recent decline in emissions caused by RU migration shows that by
updating urbanisation and air pollution control laws, it is important to limit
or even eliminate the future contradiction between urbanisation and air quality
improvement.
Because of the urbanisation effect of cities, the urban per capita carbon
footprint in developed countries that have already attained the mature stage,
such as Austria, is lower than the rural predecessor. In this case, RU migration
and a societal development of the urban population will cut emissions and
benefit the environment.
The peak in pollutant emissions prompted by RU migration indicates that, whereas
urbanisation currently contradicts air quality improvement in China, revised
policies can make urbanisation and air quality targets accurate in the future.
Actions should be taken to minimise urban per capita emissions by fully
utilising agglomeration benefits.
End-of-pipe control innovation updates, along with energy system emission
reductions, should be favoured for further reductions in emission intensity.
Moreover, the production structure should be transformed by increasing the
proportion of producer solutions and decreasing reliance on raw materials.
Award Winning Article Is Written By: Ms.Ishika Agarwal - Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University
Authentication No: MR408184886386-21-0324
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