Quantifying the impact of air pollution from coal-fired electricity generation on crop productivity in India.

ABSTRACT: Air pollution from coal electricity generation is a major driver of poor air quality in India and its effects on human health have been extensively studied. Despite considerable evidence that the same pollution also reduces crop productivity, we lack similar quantitative assessments of coal electricity's crop damages. Here, we estimate rice and wheat crop losses from coal generation's nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) emissions using a regression model that combines station-level electricity generation and wind direction, satellite-measured NO₂, and its association with crop productivity. Coal emissions impact yields up to 100 km away from power stations. In parts of West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh heavily exposed to coal-linked NO₂, annual yield losses

SUBMITTER: Singh K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11831135 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature