Clearing the Air: How Delhi Broke the Logjam on Air Quality Reforms

Globalizing Corporate Environmentalism? Convergence and Heterogeneity in Indian Industry

“…Against a backdrop of increased transnational communication and information exchange, environmental policy and organizational innovations adopted in developed economies have assumed a demonstrative role, providing ready-made, legitimate templates for achieving new environmental policy goals in India. Perhaps the most far-reaching example of this can be found in the emulation of emission standards previously and successfully enacted in Europe (Greenspan Bell et al 2004). While there was some concern about the appropriateness of EU standards within the Indian context, the expediency of drawing directly from "tried and tested" European norms, both for regulators and vehicle manufacturers, played an important role in their replication (interviews with representatives from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, 2000Manufacturers, , 2005.…”

“…Several middle-class environmentalists and NGOs-such as the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment-have benchmarked their environmental expectations against environmental standards in developed economies. As an example, pressure from middle-class environmentalists was pivotal in the rapid adoption of stringent vehicular emission standards (Greenspan Bell et al 2004).…”

Role of urban growth, technology, and judicial interventions on vehicle exhaust emissions in Delhi for 1991–2014 and 2014–2030 periods

“…The Supreme Court of India ruling in 1998 to convert public transport vehicles to CNG was the result of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). This PIL resulted in a judgment laying down more than a dozen other emission control measures to be implemented in Delhi (Mehta, 2001;Bell et al, 2004). PILs have proved to be instrumental in addressing various environmental problems in India at various levels, and thus have empowered citizens and non-governmental organizations.…”

“…Considering that sales of 4-stroke (4S) 2Ws increased only in mid-1990s and became significant only in early 2000s, in-use fleet of 2Ws was predominantly 2S-based during this reform. Since the excess use of oil causes deterioration of vehicle performance, this reform also helped vehicle owners without any significant cost difference in the fuel (Kojima et al, 2000;Bell et al, 2004).…”

Urban Emissions and Regional Air Quality in India

“…Similarly, concentrations of O 3 have been increasing at a rate of 1.3% annually in Delhi [Kumari et al, 2013]. Pollution in India does not go unnoticed, as recent efforts sought to reduce pollution in major cities including Delhi through transitions to liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for transportation [Bell et al, 2004;National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring, 2006], quantify pollution in Agra damaging to the Taj Mahal [Bergin et al, 2015], and assess source contributions in major cities across India [Guttikunda et al, 2014]. However, quantifiable efforts to improve air quality remain limited by weak enforcement power of the Central Pollution Control Board and limitations in detailed air quality information in diverse regions across India.…”