India, June 9 -- Climate consciousness among Indians is certainly growing, but we tend to view climate change as a potential, rather than an imminent, threat, which invites immediate behavioural changes. Second, even as more and more people switch to electric vehicles and other renewable energy sources, the population, particularly among those who depend on coal, wood, petrol, diesel, kerosene, and other non-renewable sources of energy, is still rising rapidly.

It is not merely Delhi; the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India data project that cities in Uttar Pradesh, such as Lucknow and Kanpur and many cities across India are wobbling under rising levels of air pollution.

As the majority of India's population lives in rural a...