KOLKATA: A new study by ‘C40 Cities’ — a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change — reveals that Kolkata has the highest number of premature deaths due to coal-fired thermal power plant pollution in 2019 among 61 global megacities. It is also projected to witness 10,000 premature deaths till 2030. For the first time, this new research report by C40 quantifies the impact of air pollution from coal plants on the health of urban populations and its economic consequences.
The residents of Kolkata are the worst impacted by coal pollution compared to residents in other cities in terms of premature deaths. Around 20% of India’s coal-powered electricity is generated within 500km of the city.
