Understanding Air Pollution

Like many other states in India, Rajasthan too has been reeling under the severe impacts of air pollution. In fact, air pollution poses the second largest risk factor for premature deaths in Rajasthan. The health cost is 1.70 per cent of the state’s GDP – higher than the national tally of 1.36 per cent. If air pollution concentration can be lowered, life expectancy in Rajasthan can increase by 2.5 years.

While action to curtail air pollution is happening at the official level, Rajasthan’s vibrant school community – its teachers, students and parents – can play a critical role in supporting this action and driving public opinion towards effective and long-lasting solutions. Centre for Science and Environment’s Green Schools Programme has stepped forward to help the community in doing this: by designing training programmes, capacity building workshops, audit exercises, and knowledge-enhancement activities exclusively for the state’s teachers, students and their families.

GSP invites principals and teachers from Rajasthan to one such online workshop on August 23. Each school can be represented by its Principal and one-two teachers/faculty members. While there are no limits on the number of available seats (except those imposed by Zoom), GSP member schools will, naturally, get preference

Dr Vijai Singhal, chief environmental engineer of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, has agreed to inaugurate the workshop.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN FROM THIS WORKSHOP

• In-depth understanding of some of the most important and current facets of the subject of air pollution and air quality from CSE experts who have been working on it for 30 years
• Overview of the state of air quality in Rajasthan, and the state government’s initiatives towards controlling air pollution
• Knowledge and understanding of air quality issues with specific reference to schools in Rajasthan – how can schools measure and map air quality at their level, and what actions can be taken to bring down pollution levels in and around school campuses
• Opportunity to listen to and interact with other teachers from the state on the subject of air pollution – what are the problems schools face, and what actions are already being taken by them
• A chance to join the GSP community (if you are not a member), and participate in the forthcoming GSP national audit on air pollution

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE WORKSHOP

WORKSHOP COORDINATORS

NEERAJ KUMAR
Environment Education unit, CSE,
neeraj.kumar@cseindia.org

SHAMBHAVI SHUKLA
Clean Air and Sustainable Mobility unit, CSE,
shambhavi@cseindia.org