Title: An integrated strategy for urban Air Quality Management in India

Authors: Deepa Menon-Choudhary, P.R. Shukla

Addresses: Centre de Sciences Humaines, 2 Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi 110011, India. ' Indian Institute of Management, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015, Gujarat, India

Abstract: An integrated strategy for urban Air Quality Management adopts a hierarchical approach – graduating from micro to macro-level management of the problem. The paper provides a conceptual framework, and analyses it in the Indian context through energy-environment modelling and local-level studies. The key insights from the analysis are: technology transfers from developed countries promote environmentally sustainable development; conjoint markets for greenhouse gas and local pollutant mitigation optimises costs and generates co-benefits; a mixed policy regime, including market instruments, is preferable to pure technology-push policies as it can deliver technology-equivalent benefits at lower costs; an independent environment regulatory authority would reduce risks of institutional failures and lower transaction costs.

Keywords: sustainability; sustainable development; co-benefits; energy-environment model; technology-push policy; emissions trading; technology-equivalent benefits; institutional failures; air quality management; India; air pollution; environmental pollution.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2009.028688

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2009 Vol.39 No.3/4, pp.233 - 252

Published online: 23 Sep 2009 *

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