A further source of economic loss is the healthcare cost of treating diseases attributable to air pollution, it pointed out. For one, because it was the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the global elite powwow. India’s pollution crisis -- air, water, garbage -- has become a prism through which political and economic priorities are being judged. The bigger picture is clear: air pollution reflects energy policy, transport planning and industrial regulation. The bottom line: In India, pollution is not a side issue -- it is a hidden tax on growth and a test of political will.