Policies that lack public support are often marred by real-world challenges. Yet communications, a core method of translating policy into simpler language, often becomes an afterthought, confined to restricted circles. 

With this roundtable discussion organised by ICCT and EPIC India, we aim to deliberate on the importance of effective communication on clean air and transportation – going beyond policy briefs and turning them into day-to-day conversations. If clean air and clean transportation are going to matter to people, they need to become dinner-table conversations, not just policy-brief footnotes. It is now well established that there are significant health costs associated with vehicular emissions, making it personal and pertinent to discussions across forums. For example, the recent ICCT’s study revealed that road vehicle pollution claims a life every 45 seconds. The University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) measures the same toll in years: Indians could live 3.5 years longer on average if the country’s air quality met WHO standards. Told well, these numbers become stories that connect policy with people. 

We’ll bring together voices who shape how these stories get told and heard: government communicators, civil society campaigners, print and TV journalists, philanthropy leaders, and social media influencers. 

This hour-long roundtable session will be moderated by Almas Naseem, Senior Communications Specialist for ICCT India and Ashirbad Raha, Regional Director – Communications for EPIC India.