India's Air Quality Crisis: Experts Call for Science-Based Standards as WHO Guidelines Remain Unimplemented

Dec 12, 2025 07:43 am CST

India faces severe air pollution with 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities located within its borders. While the government maintains WHO air quality guidelines are merely advisory and defends its 16-year-old standards based on local factors, environmental experts emphasize the urgent need to align policies with health-based science as pollution continues to claim millions of lives annually and significantly reduces life expectancy across the nation.