India’s poor air is driving much needed investment away from the country. 

Synopsis: The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.

There was a time when China was thought to have the world’s most polluted cities. However, Beijing’s sustained efforts have overturned that situation. Instead, when the question of polluted cities comes up, eyes turn to India now.

According to the noted Harvard economist Gita Gopinath, a former top IMF official, poor air quality is driving investment away from India and is causing more damage to its economy than US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. 

There is enough policy experience, and scientific knowledge, to mitigate the situation. Indeed, India has within itself some of the world’s best scientific brains. The question is whether it has the political will to take the right measures, including pricing essential services such as water appropriately to curb overuse and wastage.

In this wide-ranging conversation, host Ravi Velloor speaks with Chandran Nair, the Malaysian-born, founder and CEO of Hongkong-based Global Institute for Tomorrow on how India could take cues from China to fix its foul air and water.

Mr Nair, a biochemical engineer who in 1994, set up the first foreign environment consultancy in China. He is also a frequent traveller to China and India. He is also a sceptic of the consumption-based growth model that he says is causing irreparable damage to the environment. 

Highlights (click/tap above)

3:42 China’s journey from ‘most polluted’ nation

10:52 India’s dismal environmental situation

14:26 Faulty growth models

17:37 Democratic non-dividend: India cannot do a China

22:42 Why utilities like water need to be priced right

Read Ravi's columns: https://str.sg/3xRP

Follow Ravi on X: https://twitter.com/RaviVelloor

Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz 

Host: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

---

#STAsianInsider