New Delhi, Strengthening air quality standards and ensuring strong regulation of industrial and energy emissions is critical to protecting the human right to a healthy environment, a UN expert said. UN expert says strengthening air quality standards critical to keeping environment healthy Astrid Puentes Riaño, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, recently presented a new report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and called on governments and businesses to address the public health and human rights crisis caused by air pollution. In a statement to PTI, Riano said that countries are increasingly recognising the human rights implications of air pollution, and India has taken steps through programmes such as its National Air Quality Index and the National Clean Air Programme. “Strengthening air quality standards, aligning them with the best available science, and ensuring strong regulation of industrial and energy emissions will be critical to protecting the human right to a healthy environment and safeguarding the health and other rights of millions of people …