If you were viewing the Indian subcontinent from space, you’d notice a striking change in the image in the month of October. It’s when farmers burn up to 35 million tons of crops in Haryana and Punjab, creating a haze of smoke that – when combined with the effect of Diwali crackers – turns the air in the national capital into the most toxic it’s ever been. The view from Delhi would present the usual picture of smog-covered streets.
The view from space reveals a much larger canvas – much of Asia is blanketed by a thick cloud of smoke on an annual basis. Be it in India, Pakistan, China or the countries of South East Asia – we emit so much particulate matter into the air that a giant cloud of it forms for several months each year.
Known as the Asian Brown Cloud or Atmospheric Brown Cloud (ABC), it is a local effect of air pollution – with global consequences. ABC hotspots have been identified in East Asia, the Indo-Gangetic plains, Southeast Asia, Southern Afric and the Amazon basin.
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