Dr. Ashish Sharma holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Surrey (UK), where his research on reducing air pollution exposure in young children gained global recognition and was featured in BBC, Forbes, and The Telegraph. He has conducted research at leading institutions including University of Surrey (UK), GIST (South Korea), Macquarie University (Australia), and the University of Toledo (USA).

Dr. Sharma has presented at major international forums such as the Cambridge Particle Meeting, IAQM (UK), World Environment Expo 2022, Smart Cities Conference New Delhi 2017, and several other conferences across Australia, Brazil, Egypt, UK, and the U.S. His expertise spans air quality, exposure science, urban sustainability, and public health. He is passionate about bridging science, policy, and community action to build cleaner, healthier cities.

Who gets to breathe — and who doesn’t?

Part 2 of a Two-Part Series on Clean Air, Citizen Science & Climate Justice

Read Part 1 here.

In India’s cities, the right to clean air is not just about pollution levels, but about privilege. While some commute in air-conditioned SUVs with filtered cabins, millions walk through smog-choked streets with no protection at all. From the footpaths of Aligarh to the policy halls of COP26, Dr. Ashish Sharma brings a rare perspective—one that blends science with lived experience, and data with deep empathy.

This isn’t just a story about air pollution. It’s about power, participation, and the everyday citizens quietly leading a revolution in how we fight for our right to breathe.

Citizen science: When change begins at the footpath

Across India’s cities, a new narrative of climate action is emerging — one grounded not in mandates but in shared knowledge, local empowerment, and behaviour-driven change. In Delhi and Aligarh, our efforts centred on building awareness and fostering citizen engagement by introducing global best practices in low-cost air quality monitoring, informed by successful community science deployments in Guildford, Surrey, and London.

Rather than merely distributing sensors, we focused on co-designing participatory frameworks to explore how citizens could collect, interpret, and act on hyperlocal environmental data. These efforts prioritised co-creation and co-implementation, enabling residents to become partners in problem-solving rather than passive recipients of information.

For Aligarh and similar small cities, such a proposed participatory approach can catalyse tangible action—students conducted green cover audits that prompted civic bodies to replant, while parents adjusted daily routines based on locally interpreted air quality trends.

This citizen-led momentum aligns with the ethos of the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative, which places individual behavioural change at the centre of climate action. As discussed in our article (Allam, Sharma, & Cheshmehzangi, 2024), LiFE represents a shift from conventional urban sustainability approaches by emphasising micro-level interventions, small yet consistent actions by individuals and communities that aggregate into systemic impact.

By rooting change in local realities, LiFE enhances existing sustainability frameworks like SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda, creating a bridge between high-level policy ambitions and grassroots implementation.

What distinguishes LiFE is its origin as a grassroots movement in India that has evolved into an integral part of national environmental policy. Through examples like the eco-village of Piplantri, the initiative shows how community-led actions can significantly advance sustainability outcomes. Importantly, LiFE reframes the role of infrastructure, not as a standalone solution but as an enabler of sustainable behaviours, with success dependent on community participation and behavioural shifts.

In urban centres like Bengaluru, this integrated approach is already taking shape. Community-driven lake restorations and youth-led mobility hackathons illustrate how co-creation and shared responsibility are becoming central to environmental stewardship. These efforts, modest in scale but rich in civic intent, mark a cultural realignment where sustainability is increasingly embedded in the routines and choices of everyday urban life.

LiFE also reinforces the strategic synergy between technological innovation and sustainable lifestyles, particularly through its integration with initiatives like India’s Smart Cities Mission and alignment with global agendas such as the UNEA and UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development.

As our paper highlights, evaluating urban........

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