Many Asian cities face environmental crises due to severe air pollution. Deteriorating air quality is a result of rapid economic expansion, population growth, increased industrial output and an unprecedented surge in motor vehicle traffic. Impacts of air pollution are well-known adverse health effects, rising health costs, damage to natural vegetation and agriculture, and deterioration of cultural monuments and buildings.

China and India are vast countries undergoing rapid industrialization, possessing enormous and increasing populations, and suffering from severe air pollution. Together they contribute nearly 20 percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere annually from human activity. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. The share of carbon dioxide that China and India emit will increase in the future as they continue to develop. Since air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions both result from burning fossil fuels, China and India may see advantages in fuel switching, increased energy efficiency, and the use of renewable forms of energy to reduce local air pollution. Such changes could also limit the growth in their greenhouse gas emissions.

Questions this task force will address include: What practical steps can China and India take in the coming decades to improve local air quality and lower the rate at which their carbon dioxide emissions are increasing? What can each country learn from the other regarding energy and air pollution strategies? How can the United States and others in the developed world support these efforts?

The aim of this task force will be to develop co-control strategies that work to improve air quality in China and India while limiting the rate of increase in their greenhouse gas emissions. These strategies will need to be attractive to the individual countries involved while also attracting bilateral and multilateral donors able to support their implementation.