Dia Mirza advocates for clean air: It is not a privilege but a human right

Mumbai: Actor Dia Mirza graces the launch of AZA’s newest store in Mumbai on Thursday, August 13, 2026. (Photo: IANS)

Mumbai, (IANS) Actress Dia Mirza is also an environmentalist and often uses social media to share her views on the various issues pertaining to the massive climate change. On Monday, Dia used Clean Air Day to remind all that air pollution is not only an environmental problem, but also a public health crisis.

Dia uploaded a video on her IG saying, "Think of a child running onto a football field, a teenager training for a race, children cycling, playing cricket, and simply being outdoors. Every time they run harder, they breathe deeper. In too many parts of our country, that means breathing polluted air into developing lungs and bodies."

Dia revealed that back in 2021, air pollution resulted in around 2.1 million deaths in India. Not just that, more than 700,000 children under the age of five died due to polluted air across the globe.

She further went on to list the people who are worst affected by this declining air quality.

"But this burden is not shared equally. Communities living beside highways, landfills, construction sites, factories, and power plants face greater exposure. So do street vendors, traffic police, sanitation workers, and construction workers, people who work outdoors and cannot retreat indoors when the air becomes dangerous. They are on the front lines of polluted earth."

Dia said that in working towards cleaner air, we also work towards a better environment.

"Cleaner energy, reliable, affordable public transport, cleaner industries, no open waste burning, better construction practices, more walking, cycling, and green open spaces. Strong air quality monitoring and accountability when standards are violated," she continued.

Dia reiterated that clear air should not be seen as a privilege but as a human right."This International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, let us remember every child deserves to run, play, learn, and grow without their next breath causing harm. Clean air is a high return investment. Clean air is climate action. Clean air is public health. Clean air is a human right", the actress concluded. Dia Mirza advocates for clean air: It is not a privilege but a human right | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → September 16, 2026

In London, Children’s Lungs Grow Faster as Traffic Pollution Falls

– credit, Fas Khan via Unsplash

A visceral reminder of the dangers of air pollution comes now via an uplifting study which found lung development in children was faster in London’s ultra low-emissions zone (ULEZ).

It compared children between the ages of 6 and 9 living in Central London’s ULEZ with those living in the nearby suburb of Luton. Just over 3,400 agreed to participate.

The study period extended to before the implementation of the ULEZ in 2019, and found that as exhaust emissions like nitrogen dioxide diminished, the advance in children’s lung capacity quickened.

Children were tested for lung function on a device that measures how much air an individual can forcefully breathe out in one second, a measure for lung power, development, and recovery in the case of lung cancer patients.

PPM measurements of exhaust particles fell faster in London than in Luton over the study period, and the scientists at Queen Mary University observed a concurrent acceleration in the development of London children’s lung power, which was recorded as an additional 233 milliliters of air breathed into the device per year, compared with 223 milliliters observed in children from Luton.

At the outset of the study, Luton had less air pollution in the city, and it was the Luton children whose lungs were developing faster. 4 years after the implementation of the ULEZ, the Londoners had bridged the gap with their suburban peers.

Lung development is a key predictor of aspiratory problems in life. The study also found that in Central London, the proportion of children with impaired lung function fell from 14% to 9% as pollution levels dropped. Such impairments may include asthma, and bear consequences for health later in life.

In general, even though many cities regularly sit far above the World Health Organization’s recommendations for limits on fine particulate matter, cities around the world are reducing air pollution and London stands among them.

In March, GNN reported that 19 out of 100 cities worldwide surveyed for air quality were found to have substantially improved since 2010. The 19 included several of what could be called megalopolis-type cities like Hong Kong and Beijing. Another 7 on Mainland China achieved large pollution reductions.San Francisco, Warsaw, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Rome, Heidelberg, Berlin, and Paris round out the list. In London, Children’s Lungs Grow Faster as Traffic Pollution Falls

Read More........ → September 07, 2026

In London, Children’s Lungs Grow Faster as Traffic Pollution Falls

– credit, Fas Khan via Unsplash

A visceral reminder of the dangers of air pollution comes now via an uplifting study which found lung development in children was faster in London’s ultra low-emissions zone (ULEZ).

It compared children between the ages of 6 and 9 living in Central London’s ULEZ with those living in the nearby suburb of Luton. Just over 3,400 agreed to participate.

The study period extended to before the implementation of the ULEZ in 2019, and found that as exhaust emissions like nitrogen dioxide diminished, the advance in children’s lung capacity quickened.

Children were tested for lung function on a device that measures how much air an individual can forcefully breathe out in one second, a measure for lung power, development, and recovery in the case of lung cancer patients.

PPM measurements of exhaust particles fell faster in London than in Luton over the study period, and the scientists at Queen Mary University observed a concurrent acceleration in the development of London children’s lung power, which was recorded as an additional 233 milliliters of air breathed into the device per year, compared with 223 milliliters observed in children from Luton.

At the outset of the study, Luton had less air pollution in the city, and it was the Luton children whose lungs were developing faster. 4 years after the implementation of the ULEZ, the Londoners had bridged the gap with their suburban peers.

Lung development is a key predictor of aspiratory problems in life. The study also found that in Central London, the proportion of children with impaired lung function fell from 14% to 9% as pollution levels dropped. Such impairments may include asthma, and bear consequences for health later in life.

In general, even though many cities regularly sit far above the World Health Organization’s recommendations for limits on fine particulate matter, cities around the world are reducing air pollution and London stands among them.

In March, GNN reported that 19 out of 100 cities worldwide surveyed for air quality were found to have substantially improved since 2010. The 19 included several of what could be called megalopolis-type cities like Hong Kong and Beijing. Another 7 on Mainland China achieved large pollution reductions.San Francisco, Warsaw, Bangkok, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Rome, Heidelberg, Berlin, and Paris round out the list. In London, Children’s Lungs Grow Faster as Traffic Pollution Falls

Read More........ → August 01, 2026