Paper short abstract:

The paper focuses in on middle class 'pollution talk' and the marketing of domestic air purifiers in India's capital. By exploring the conceptualisation of environmental goods in the city we can understand better if smog is indeed 'democratic'(Beck 1991)in contemporary Delhi.

Paper long abstract:

In recent years 'pollution talk' has become a key theme of middle class conversation in Delhi, from concerns about the risks of air pollution voiced at social gatherings to heated discussions on social media about the government's attempts to address the issue. Discussions revolve around interpretations of live data such as the National Air Quality Index (NAQI), apportioning blame to middle class cars, construction work, or the burning of biomass by the urban poor. The city's 'airpocalypse' has presented an entrepreneurial opportunity for some as a market for domestic air purifiers, masks and particulate pollution detectors has emerged, including lower cost machines aimed at Delhi's lower middle classes.

Personal and commercial narratives about the need to produce clean air within private spaces, such as homes and cars, build upon well-established fears about pollution affecting other environmental goods such as water, and help us to better understand the conceptualisation of environmental goods in contemporary urban settings.

By focusing in on the intersections between 'scientific' air quality data, situated knowledge about ways to mitigate exposure, and the marketing of technological innovations in air purification, the paper will locate the concept of a Right to Clean Air within the spatial and class politics of the city and explore if indeed 'smog is democratic'(Beck 1991) in Delhi.