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In the living room of a family in an upscale neighborhood in New Delhi, quietly waiting for more than a dozen people of different ages --
Maids, security guards, construction workers, who earn up to a few dollars a day.
Elegant plants
In addition to the cough, the room was quiet.
In the next room, doctor.
Gita Prakash sat at her table and pressed it on the chest of the pregnant woman with a stethoscope.
Prakash has been treating poor patients here for 30 years, six nights a week, the evening after completing rounds at the local hospital where she works.
Some of the people Prakash saw were the third generation in their family who sought her help.
The problems she has dealt with have changed for decades.
"You know, there are a lot more cases of coughing, colds and allergies.
"Asthma was not common before," she said . ".
Many patients in her clinic stay outdoors all day.
The restaurant deliveryman, Dilip Kumar Chowdhury, came to the treatment with his fever son.
I asked him what it was like to breathe smoke in traffic every day.
"I find it strange.
"I feel a lot of pressure," said Chowdhury.
He coughed badly.
"I'm sweating a lot.
I feel very tired.
"Prakash took care of Chaudhry's son today, but she was also worried about her father.
"I know he will cough back in two days," she said . ".
"The problem is that by then he has infected his son.
"As a doctor," I asked her, "What do you do ? """I pray.
"The air pollution in New Delhi is the worst, even worse than in Beijing.
When President Obama arrived in India in last February, the story during his visit warned that the president's life would be shortened by six hours --
Breathe in the air of the Indian capital for a few days.
The Indian newspaper made headlines saying the United StatesS.
Before the president arrived, the embassy bought 1,800 air purifiers.
Indrajit Singh saw a surge in air filter sales at his New Delhi electronics store, saying it was a time when pollution problems in Delhi really raised public awareness.
"At that time people began to think, yes, it was a serious thing," he said . ".
In New Delhi, when the air quality index is measured by monitoring fine particulate matter in American air, people feel very goodS.
Embassy under 50
More than 150 of people are considered unhealthy.
The chart shows a maximum of 500, but even so, Liam fertard, assistant administration officer at the embassy, told me that "we have exceeded 500 in this regard . ".
What is the feeling of air on such a day?
"Short Fat," he said . "
Reecha Upadhyay, the organizer of an environmental movement called "helping Delhi breathe," said Delhi's dirty air sometimes gives people the opportunity to talk about something more abstract --climate change. "This is a concept.
This is not a reality for many people. "She said.
"But air pollution is a reality, because it is affecting your child now, and you can feel the impact it has on you, which is a very tangible thing that people can experience in their minds.
Upadhyay and other environmental activists hope that public pressure will push the government into clean energy policy.
India is third in the world
The largest carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, second only to the United States. S. and China.
Indians today consume far less energy per capita than Americans or Chinese. Many of its 1. 2 billion-
The living expenses of a strong population are about $2 a day.
But what if all these people had electricity at night, fridges, cars?
With the ambitious goal of improving living standards, there are already 0. 4 billion people who lack reliable electricity, "which means we need to increase our energy supply by four to five times, ajay Mathur, climate expert at the New Delhi Institute of Energy and Resources, said.
He said that no matter how fast India is increasing clean energy, such as solar and wind energy, India's coal use may double from now to 2030.
Todd Stern, who has been a top American player until last month. S.
India's special envoy on climate change says the country's climb is steeper than anywhere else.
"No country may face even greater challenges --
"Judging from the number of people, the level of economic growth, the number of people who can't use electricity," he said . ".
The impact of climate change will hit the Indian people more seriously than anywhere else in the world, making India more vulnerable to floods and droughts.
"Tropical cyclones may become stronger.
Richard Hewston of global risk assessment firm Verisk Maplecroft said: "We also see that climate change will have an impact on the monsoon . ".
His company studied which countries in the world are most vulnerable to storms, floods and other natural behaviors.
India has topped the list, ranking first in the world.
India's two largest cities, New Delhi and Kolkata, have a total population of more than 14 million, making them the top 10 most vulnerable cities in the world.
Every highly developed country in history, including the United States,S.
Got there in an unsustainable way.
By cutting down trees, increasing cars on the roads and emitting carbon into the atmosphere.
If India can find a sustainable way of development, it may become a template for the rest of the world.
In filtered, cooled air in the United StatesS.
Ambassador Richard Wilma of the embassy in New Delhi told me that he believes India is ready to take the lead in clean energy and climate change.
At present, China has set an ambitious goal to generate 100 gigawatts of solar power by 2022, which will be faster than any country.
"No other country on this planet has set India's renewable targets.
"So I think the way to achieve this is a challenge, but I think India will really be a pioneer in this area," he said . ".
The challenge for India is how to deal with the tensions between development and climate change.
What happens next can have a huge impact on the world, and it is possible to write a new story about how developing countries are entering the 21 st century --
Including whether the world can change the course of climate change.
India has big plans, like refrigerators and cars, to give what Americans take for granted to the Indian people. In the U. S.
Almost 90% of families own a car.
This figure is only 6% in India.
However, this number is growing steadily.
Deepak Sharma, a used car salesman in New Delhi, has a contradictory feeling about all this.
"Cars are contributing to global warming.
"So I don't think it's good," he said . ".
Many people will be surprised to hear that people sell cars for a living and say that cars are part of the problem.
But Sharma said, "If I were a car seller, it would mean I was alone too, wouldn't I?
So I have to tell them, please use the car.
But the more the better, the less use.
"New Delhi has been trying to reduce pollution by getting cars on the road. There were 8.
In 2015, there were 8 million registered vehicles in Delhi, up 6% from the previous year. (
By contrast, there are 7.
There were 4 million registered vehicles in Los Angeles in 2014. )
In the two weeks of January and April, every few days, you can only drive according to whether the license plate is odd or even.
Used cars keep their old license plates, but that means those who can afford it are looking for a workaround: another car.
"If anyone has an even number
They want to buy a strange car.
"There are also numbered cars," Sharma said. So the odd-
Sharma said even the plan to get the car out of the street was "unsuccessful ".
"This is not a success because people buy other cars.
"In a community in southern Delhi, the Wadhwa family is working to resolve this issue.
Good for Wadhwas
According to Indian standards.
They have two cars.
But there are both. Numbering board.
It's a Monday, only strange time
There can be numbered cars on the road.
The sun has not been up for two hours, and mother Muskan has been angered.
"It's really hard," she complained . "
Father Mohid is about to take their 3-year-
After he took their 7-year-
His motorcycle was old and free from rationing.
He said he would not buy the ration if it continued. 3.
Is he surprised?
Even planning is a good idea?
"It would be great if it could control pollution," he said . "
"If it doesn't control pollution then it's a very bad idea.
"It is difficult for the government to prove that its plan has indeed reduced pollution.
But cars are only a fraction of India's carbon footprint.
One of the many things this country has to do to develop in a sustainable way.
Buy another car to deal with this strange thing.
Mohid admits that even rationing does not help pollution.
"But we have to meet the needs of our families.
So we have to do the same. "His 7-year-
The old daughter grabbed her Disney backpack.
She's obsessed with freezing.
Hop on a motorcycle with dad
"Did you do your homework? " he asks. "Nope.
"Tell your teacher it's your aunt's wedding," Mohid said . ".
They drove to Delhi to start a new day in chaotic traffic.