Wisp of Delhi's polluted air in Spain: When world leaders got a taste of India's smoggy capital

New Delhi: Visitors and world leaders attending the COP 25 Climate Conference here are being immersed in simulated smog conditions of Indian capital New Delhi -- a reality for millions of residents living in one of the most polluted cities in the world -- as part of a creative drive for urgent action against air pollution. One or two minutes inside London-based artist Michael Pinsky's pollution pods and visitors begin experiencing shortness of breath.

"I have tried to distil the whole bodily sense of being in each place through these pollutions pods. Being in Sao Paulo, for example, seems like a forest sanctuary as compared to living in the Indian capital New Delhi, until your eyes start to get wet from the sensation of ethanol. On the other hand, Tautra is unlike any air you'll have ever breathed before. It is very pure," said Pinksky.

He noted that while visitors to the pollution pods at COP25 will experience the sensation of air pollution for a few minutes, breathing toxic air is the reality for millions of people every day of their lives.

However, there is nothing dangerous in the air in the pods as safe perfume blends and fog machines have been used to imitate the air quality of some of the world's most polluted cities – New Delhi, London, Beijing, Sao Paulo -- as well as one of the most pristine environments on the planet, Tautra in Norway.

Air pollution has been declared a public health priority by the World Health Organization (WHO). Largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels driving climate change, polluted air poisons nine out of ten people and causes over 7 million premature deaths every year.

Children are especially vulnerable, with nearly 6 lakh children dying prematurely every year from air pollution related diseases. As part of the Clean Air Initiative, in which governments must commit to making air safe by 2030 at the latest, and to encourage urgent action on climate change, world leaders attending the COP25 Summit will be encouraged to walk through this viscerally powerful art installation.

"Michael Pinsky responded to a competition from a university in Norway in order to see if art can change people's views on climate change," the organisers told PTI on the sidelines of the event.