South Asia is at the epicenter of ambient air pollution—pollution people are exposed to outside their households. According to the latest World Air Quality Report, 2020, of the top 40 most polluted cities in the world, 37 are in South Asia. Air pollution in the region is a health hazard and represents the third-highest risk for premature death, as compared to the ninth highest cause in Western Europe. Overall, it contributes to around 11 percent of all deaths, and approximately 40 million disability-adjusted life years in South Asia. Air pollution, however, is not a localized phenomenon. It is transported across borders, and its effects spread to places far away from the source. This requires a country-wide, inter-state, and a regional response. Join our sixth #OneSouthAsia Conversation, which will focus on the ways regional cooperation can help achieve a shared vision of healthier and cleaner air in South Asia. This builds on our previous Spring Meetings event on Air Quality Management in South Asia in ...

The mountain ranges of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram span 2,400 kilometers across six nations and contain 60,000 km² of ice – storing more water than anywhere besides the Arctic and Antarctic. Climate change and air pollution are speeding up the melting of the Himalayan glaciers, jeopardizing the lives and livelihoods of 750 million people who rely on the water from these glaciers and snows. Melting glaciers and loss of seasonal snow pose significant risks not just to the people who live at their foot but to the stability of water resources in the South Asia region more broadly. The impacts will only get worse unless greater efforts are made to curb black carbon deposits from factories, fires, and vehicles that are accelerating melting. Our expert panel will discuss challenges and solutions to address glacier melt, improve water and energy security, and air quality, and thus create a better future for millions of South Asians. Opening Remarks: Hartwig Schafer, Vice President, ...

South Asia is the third largest contributor to global plastic waste. It generates 334 million metric tons of solid waste every year. Nearly 70-80% of this waste ends up in the ocean 12% is plastic. On current trends, if no action is taken, the amount of mismanaged waste (including plastic) across South Asia is projected to double to 661 million tons by 2050, adversely affecting the region’s ocean ecosystems, livelihoods, human health, and sustainable development more broadly. COVID-19 has further exacerbated plastic pollution, with increased demand for single-use plastic and pressure on solid waste management systems. With no single solution to this, South Asia needs a collective response to plastic pollution which is both national and transboundary in nature. The region’s two transboundary river systems—the Indus River System, which connects Afghanistan, India and Pakistan and the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna River System, which connecting Bhutan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh—are among the top five most polluting rivers in the world. The rivers act like ...