Publications·December 04, 2025
Air pollution across the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills (IGP-HF) has reached critical levels, threatening health and productivity for nearly one billion people. The impacts are severe: cardiovascular and respiratory diseases have become leading causes of illness and death, average life expectancy in the IGP-HF region is shortened by more than three years, and around one million people die prematurely each year from exposure to polluted air. The associated economic damage is estimated at about 10 percent of regional gross domestic product (GDP) annually, driven by lost labor productivity, higher healthcare costs, and reduced human capital. This Solutions Book, A Breath of Change, sets out a practical roadmap for achieving the region’s shared, intermediate target of reducing annual average PM2.5 concentrations below 35 µg/m³ by 2035 (“35 by 35”), while laying the foundation for progressively cleaner air. Building on the diagnostics and country experiences synthesized in Striving for Clean Air, the solutions book moves from why clean air matters and what drives pollution to how to address air pollution. In other words, how coordinated, feasible, and evidence-based solutions can be implemented at scale. The IGP-HF airshed, an interconnected system spanning 13 jurisdictions across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, demands solutions that are both multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional. Chapter 1 explains why air quality matters in the IGP-HF. Chapter 2 presents sources of air pollution. The Solutions Book highlights a portfolio of interventions in each of the five key pollution emitting sectors: scaling up access to clean cooking fuels and appliances in chapter 3; electrifying and modernizing industrial boilers, furnaces, kilns and thermal power plants in chapter 4; accelerating the transition to electric and efficient vehicles alongside improvements in fuel quality, and strengthening of non-motorized transport in the transport sector in chapter 5; promoting sustainable agricultural crop residue, livestock manure and fertilizer management in chapter 6; and improving waste collection, segregation, and recycling in chapter 7. In parallel, protective sectors, particularly health in chapter 8 and education in chapter 9, play a vital role in helping people cope while air quality remains poor. ross-cutting themes are woven throughout the sectoral chapters, with deeper exploration of governance frameworks, market-based instruments and regional cooperation provided in chapters 10 to 12.
The report is a comprehensive, cross‑sector solutions book focused on tackling PM₂.₅ air pollution across the Indo‑Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills (IGP‑HF)—an airshed spanning Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, and home to nearly one billion people. It frames air quality as both a public‑health emergency and an economic constraint, and moves from diagnostics (“why” and “what”) to implementation (“how”) through an integrated roadmap built around the “4Is” framework—Information, Incentives, Institutions, Infrastructure. The shared regional aspiration is “35 by 35”: reduce annual average PM₂.₅ concentrations to ≤35 µg/m³ by 2035 (WHO Interim Target 1)..pdf).pdf).pdf) [A Breath o...Change (1) | PDF]
Burden and impacts.
Ambient and household air pollution together drive very high morbidity and mortality in South Asia, cutting life expectancy by ~3 years on average across IGP‑HF countries and imposing welfare losses estimated at ~10% of South Asia’s GDP (PPP). The health burden spans cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes, stroke, adverse birth outcomes, and neurodegenerative disorders. The report stresses the erosion of human capital, showing evidence of learning losses among students and cognitive effects from chronic exposure; more than 255 million public‑school students in the region are exposed to hazardous PM₂.₅ levels (>35 µg/m³). The economic case for action is strong: benefit‑cost ratios up to ~9:1 for pollution‑reduction scenarios through saved lives and productivity gains..pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf) [A Breath o...Change (1) | PDF]
Where pollution comes from.
Using jurisdiction‑specific GAINS modeling (IIASA) across parts of the five countries, the report identifies five dominant source sectors and notes substantial secondary PM₂.₅ formation from precursor gases (SO₂, NOₓ, NH₃, VOCs). On average across the airshed: household cooking/heating (~33%), industry (~21%), transport (~17%) (jurisdiction range 10–40%), agriculture (~12%), and waste (open burning, construction & demolition dust, road dust). The topology and meteorology of the IGP‑HF trap pollution; transboundary contributions are significant (e.g., Terai, Nepal: up to 68% originates outside country), underscoring that no single jurisdiction can achieve clean air alone..pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf) [A Breath o...Change (1) | PDF]
How the book is organized.
Part I – Sectoral Abatement: Solutions for clean cooking (electric/LPG/biogas; behavior change; MSME supply‑chain finance), industry (kilns, boilers, furnaces, thermal power plants—technology upgrades and fuel switching; CEMS; common boiler facilities), transport (leapfrogging to Euro VI standards, EV adoption and charging networks, improved fuel quality to ≤10 ppm sulfur, vehicle inspection & maintenance, scrappage programs, and modal shift to public/non‑motorized transport), agriculture (managing crop residue burning through in‑situ/ex‑situ machinery and value chains; fertilizer overuse reduction via subsidy reform and precision application; manure management using biogas), and waste (ending open burning, managing C&D waste, and controlling road dust through service and infrastructure upgrades, PPPs, and enforcement)..pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf) [A Breath o...Change (1) | PDF]
Part II – Protection Solutions: While abatement takes time, health systems can protect populations through primary prevention (risk communication, alerts, integrating health in all policies), secondary prevention (masks, air purifiers in schools/hospitals, early‑warning systems), and health‑system integration (training, diagnostics, surveillance, financing). Education systems can reduce exposure in classrooms (ventilation, filtration, green buffers) and embed clean‑air competencies in curricula while developing tertiary skills pipelines for AQM implementation.pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf) [A Breath o...Change (1) | PDF]
Part III – Supporting Frameworks: Governance reforms (legal clarity, nested airshed planning, vertical/horizontal coordination, accountability & transparency in monitoring); market‑based instruments (pollution taxes, emissions trading systems, subsidy reform and revenue recycling for clean air investments); and regional collaboration (institutionalizing the IGP‑HF platform, harmonizing standards and inventories, aligned sectoral action plans, and pooled financing). The report references pathways like Europe’s CLRTAP, China’s JJJ regional management, and the US OTC model to illustrate how coordinated, enforceable regional frameworks accelerate improvements.pdf).pdf).pdf) [A Breath o...Change (1) | PDF]
The 4Is in practice.
Information: Expand monitoring networks, harmonize standards, open data dashboards; use satellite/AI for source mapping (e.g., brick kilns, crop burning); transparent performance reporting to build accountability.
Incentives: Rebalance fossil‑fuel/fertilizer subsidies, introduce feebates and pollution pricing, and reward compliance to spur adoption of cleaner technologies (EVs, efficient boilers, modern kilns, precision agriculture).
Institutions: Empower national/provincial coordination bodies; integrate airshed planning across jurisdictions; formalize regional governance with a credible, financed secretariat.
Infrastructure: Invest in power grids and renewables, EV charging, common boilers, waste management systems, and health/education facility upgrades to enable sustained abatement and protection..pdf).pdf) [A Breath o...Change (1) | PDF]
Key takeaways and way forward.
Achieving “35 by 35” requires multi‑sector action implemented in parallel, protection of vulnerable populations now, and governance/finance that turn policy into outcomes. The report emphasizes monitoring and disclosure, behavior change, and regional cooperation as accelerators. It concludes that, with political commitment and sustained coordination, the IGP‑HF can replicate the rapid improvements seen elsewhere (e.g., Beijing/Mexico City), delivering health, learning, and productivity gains while enabling inclusive, low‑carbon growth..pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf).pdf) [A Breath o...Change (1) | PDF]
Keywords (highlighted)
PM₂.₅; Indo‑Gangetic Plains (IGP‑HF); airshed; secondary particle formation; source apportionment; GAINS model; transboundary pollution; “35 by 35”; 4Is (Information, Incentives, Institutions, Infrastructure); clean cooking (LPG/electric/biogas); brick kilns (zig‑zag, VSBK, tunnel kiln); common boilers; CEMS; Euro VI; low‑sulfur fuels (≤10 ppm); EV charging; inspection & maintenance; scrappage; public transport; crop residue burning; precision fertilizer; ammonia (NH₃); manure biogas; open waste burning; C&D waste; road dust; health‑system integration; classroom air quality; governance and enforcement; emissions trading; subsidy reform; regional platform (Kathmandu Roadmap, Thimphu Outcome).