The question of the danger to the atmosphere from “super-pollutants”, such as soot – the black toxic smoke caused by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons -, is not absent from the negotiations of this year’s climate conference (COP30), which began last Monday, in Belem, Brazil and is expected to end on November 21.
And while the work of COP30 continues, the Indian government announced emergency measures to tackle pollution in New Delhi, the capital of 32 million people: all non-essential public works were suspended, old vehicles were banned and schools switched to distance learning. This is not the first time such measures have been taken. In November 2024, .
The most polluted city in the world
Delhi is the city with the most polluted air in the world – the top five, based on World Health Organization (WHO) data, are completed by N’Djamena in Chad, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Islamabad in Pakistan.
According to research by the medical journal The Lancet, air pollution in India is linked to 1.7 million deaths annually. The effects of pollution are most pronounced in Delhi in winter, when winds drop, temperatures drop after the monsoons and pollutants build up.
Class issue
The initiatives of the conservative Narendra Modi government so far do not solve the problem of air pollution in Delhi – they only limit its extent, for a few days. The problem is difficult to deal with, as it is a class issue: in the world’s most populous country (1.46 billion people in 2025), only a very small percentage of Indians can access clean air through air purifiers.
It is a small portion of households that have the financial means to ensure clean air inside their homes thanks to an innovative technology that mimics the way laboratories and industries create pollution-free spaces. But the cost of this technology reaches 70% of the average annual income in India.
Clean Air Bubble
The technology, called Clean Air Bubble, from an Indian start-up which provides it to 5,000 high-income households. 90% of its customers live in Delhi. The YOGA device works differently from classic indoor purifiers, which slowly recirculate the air.
Placed outside, it sucks in polluted air and passes it through thick, high-efficiency filters. It then continuously channels it into the house through specially designed openings, creating pressure that prevents contaminated air from entering through cracks. The technology is reminiscent of air purification methods in commercial buildings in the United States. The device consumes less energy than an air conditioner, while the company’s technicians regularly replace the filters.
But the cost of the device remains prohibitive for most of the population in India, where hundreds of millions of people live on government food subsidies and most can’t even afford air conditioning – essential as temperatures soar to over 49°C.
The Clean Air Bubble installation costs about $1,900 for a three-bedroom apartment, while the average annual income in India is $2,800. Nevertheless, demand is growing rapidly: according to company founder Sachin Panwar, YOGA has doubled in size since 2020.
The company is also readying a wearable device for outdoor workers, while Breathe Easy, a competitor that in recent years mainly designed solutions for cleaning the air in schools and malls, is now refocusing on homes. Notably, both companies are considering cheaper, smaller versions of their devices.
Barun Agarwal, who founded Breathe Easy in Delhi in 2013, when most Indians still didn’t realize the scale of the problem and were shocked that the air in their city was more polluted than Beijing, stresses that awareness of the problem remains lacking. Americans and Germans, he adds, spend many times more money on air cleaning technology, even though the problem is less severe in their countries.
Social outrage
Despite the criticality of the problem, air pollution is rarely an issue in Indian election campaigns. But social discontent is growing. Last Sunday, a few hundred masked protesters gathered in smog in Delhi, holding placards with slogans such as “There’s poison in the air” and “Why is breathing a privilege?”
Their demands do not seem to be heeded by the Modi government. As many families as they can, are leaving Delhi for other areas with cleaner air. But most do not have this option.
