India may save 270,000 lives a year by curbing dirty fuel emissions: Study

India could make a major dent in air pollution and save about 270,000 lives a year by curbing emissions from dirty household fuels such as wood, dung, coal and kerosene, a study co-led by researchers from IIT Delhi has found.

Eliminating emissions from these sources — without any changes to industrial or vehicle emissions — would bring the average outdoor air pollution levels below the country’s air quality standard, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.