India’s air pollution is now a bigger threat to our wallet than global trade wars.
According to Gita Gopinath (an Indian-American economist) at Davos 2026. While headlines obsess over tariffs, the IMF’s former chief economist warns that smog is the real “growth killer,” slashing productivity and draining public finances. Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Gopinath urged India to treat India’s air pollution as a national mission on a “war footing” to protect the country’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
- 1.7 million annual deaths are linked to poor air quality in India.
- Productivity losses from pollution now outweigh the impact of trade tariffs.
- Healthcare costs and lost labor hours are stalling long-term GDP growth.
- Investors are increasingly factoring in “livable air” before opening Indian offices.
- Gopinath calls for a “mission mode” policy to clean the skies.
👉 Why this matters: Clean air isn’t just about health anymore; it’s a hard economic requirement for India to remain a global investment magnet.
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Written and summarized by our editorial team using human review & a bit of AI assistance. Edited & Approved by Debraj Paul, Founder of ArticoliNews Media-Tech