Can you name the world capital with the worst air quality on earth? Here's a hint: it's not in China, it's in Southern Asia, the nation of India. It's New Delhi. Last year, the World Health Organization labeled New Delhi the most polluted capital city. This month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi instituted a new program. It will monitor air quality in ten Indian cities. It will track their pollution levels and label cities green for cleaner air and red for dirtier air. It's intended to help the public see and take action in response to high pollution levels. India's leader says he's trying to change the international view that India doesn't care about the environment.

 

Early morning, barely visible in the smog, Delhi's iconic India gate. For years, most people in this sprawling city of 23 million never questioned the quality of the air. Just a mix of desert dust and winter fog was the urban myth. But in 2014, World Health Organization study of 1,600 cities found India's capital has the most toxic air in the world, largely due to the highest concentrations of microscopic particles known as PM 2.5. 

 

We go on a rickshaw ride with American scientist Joshua Apte to test the air for ourselves. He's been monitoring Delhi's pollution since 2007. 

 

"We're looking at levels of PM 2.5 right now that are around 250 to 300 micrograms per cubic meter, so 25 to 30 times higher than that long-term standard that we might care about."

 

"But everyone keeps talking about how bad it is in Beijing, but not so much in Delhi."

 

"I think that's really just a function of awareness. Levels in Delhi are about 45 or 50 percent higher than those levels in Beijing."

 

"Really?"

 

"So the standard from the World Health Organization is 10. Typical levels in Beijing are just about 100 precisely. And in Delhi over the past years, the average has been more like 150."

 

Apte says to the naked eye, Delhi may not appear as bad as Beijing because PM 2.5s are practically invisible, but they're the most damaging to the lungs. As India makes economic development a priority, pollution levels are only set to increase. Studies show some 660 million Indians lose about three years of their lives because of the air they breathe.

 

Today's date is exactly one year after Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped almost 300 schoolgirls from a campus in Nigeria. Some of them escaped, the rest are still in captivity. Malala Yousafzai is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who was targeted herself for supporting women's education rights. She released an open letter yesterday to encourage the girls and to push the Nigerian government and other countries to do more to find them.

 

"To the girls," the letter reads, "remember that one day your tragic ordeal will end. You'll be reunited with your families and friends. You will have the chance to finish the education you courageously sought." Malala says she looks forward to the day when she can hug them, pray with them, and celebrate their freedom. She also calls the girls her "heroes."