| |SEPTEMBER 20209of the hour. Most of the developed coun-tries are on the road to achieving total electric mobility in their bid to curb the global climate change and air pol-lution. India too has identified the im-mediate need to switch to eco-friendly and sustainable mobility options, and is currently in the process of building a substantial and self-reliant EV sector. India can also learn from other ef-fective and relatively successful mod-els of countries such as china which planted vertical forests that are capa-ble of absorbing 25 tonnes of CO2 ev-ery year while producing 60 Kg of O2 on a daily basis. China also managed to control its pollution plague by creating experimental 100 m high smog free towers that absorb air pollutants and releases back clean air, an initiative of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Through a series of measures concen-trated on energy infrastructure opti-mization, coal-fired pollution control, and emission controls, many countries are achieving impressive air quality standards. Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, has envisioned be-coming a carbon-neutral country by 2025. It intends to accomplish this by encouraging non- polluting and emis-sion free mobility options such as bicy-cles over ICEs. Simple, yet effective.Combating air pollution necessi-tates a diligent and meticulous three-step plan of action. The primary step would be to develop a scientific under-standing of the temporal and spatial factors that are causing the pollution in a particular geographic location. The second step would involve the development of local, regional, and national-level legislation and techno-logical compliance to enforce clean air initiatives both in the public and private sphere. The third step calls for a recalibration and rework of social lifestyles and popular approach that contribute to amplifying the pollution levels. It is also important to debunk the commonly held yet incorrect point of view that cutting down on pollution tampers with economic growth. Tech companies assay the role of problem solvers by offering AI-pow-ered smart air-purifiers that can pro-actively engage in reducing the num-ber of internal pollutants and provide us with the much needed reprieve of healthy and cleansed air. Moreover, the air inside your car is 5-6 times more contaminated than the air out-side and traversing through dusty pathways implies inhaling dust par-ticles and noxious fumes. Investing in a competent car purifier can help in maintaining the air quality by elimi-nating the highly toxic aerial impuri-ties that are present in the vehicle. Technology in the hands of hu-mans has per se proved to be a bitter-sweet affair in the turn of the twenty first century. Excessive pollution of air, land, and water has culminated into an unpredictable climate trans-formation which may have disastrous and irreversible implications. The pollution and pilfering of the earth's natural resources has been a direct result of man's unchecked industri-alization and the heartless mecha-nization of nature and life. It is per-haps mankind's final opportunity of neutralizing the negative impact of urban progress through technol-ogy to overturn the ramifications of the so-called social progress and economic development. Amit Bhatnagar
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