India’s air quality crisis just got global attention—again. This time, it was Bryan Johnson, the billionaire biohacker known for his obsession with reversing aging, who couldn’t handle it.
Johnson flew to India to appear on Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, but midway through the conversation, he walked out. The reason? The pollution was unbearable.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Johnson shared his experience, describing how his eyes burned, throat itched, and breathing became difficult—forcing him to leave mid-conversation. Back in the U.S., he didn’t just complain; he raised a bigger question: Why isn’t India’s air pollution crisis treated as a national emergency?
Drawing a parallel, Johnson compared Delhi’s toxic smog to America’s obesity epidemic—both, in his view, are public health disasters that have been dangerously normalized.
Air-pollution in India
This isn’t the first time India’s air pollution has sparked debate. Every year, as winter arrives, smog blankets cities like Delhi, sending pollution levels soaring off the charts. And yet, life in the capital carries on as if nothing’s wrong.
Johnson’s viral moment has reignited discussions, but will it lead to real change? Or will this, like many past warnings, fade into the haze?
