In a tech-driven, smart world, amenities that our ancestors would never have thought of, are at our fingertips. On the other hand, alarmingly, we are losing access to the most basic necessities of life — including a clean year. Delhi's lethal smog situation may not be completely new, but it certainly represents a new low, which should worry us. The most unfortunate aspect is that people are getting accustomed to this deadly deterioration. Delhi's somewhat unique meteorological character allows the trapping of toxic air in the environment during the winters, which, combined with the fog, causes a lethal situation. While Delhi's smog problem keeps getting worse with each passing year, the amount of rigor required to tackle the problem remains largely absent. The nation still stands divided on whether firecrackers should/shouldn't be burnt. Governments have no clear answer to the complex issue of stubble burning. Somewhere in the subconscious state of mind, the perception is that these answers can wait. In reality, they can't. Human race is already falling behind the curve. A Lancet report states that air pollution causes over 6·5 million deaths each year globally, and this number is increasing. Furthermore, the report provides that more than 90 per cent of pollution-related deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries. India falls in this category. Data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and Global Burden of Diseases points out that in terms of causing mortality, smoking and second-hand smoking fare much higher than other factors like HIV AIDS, TB, Malaria, drug and alcohol use, malnutrition etc. Compounding this scenario is the fact that a large number of Indian cities feature in the list of world's most polluted cities. The latest State of Global Air report on air quality and health in cities, released in August this year, put New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai among the top 20 most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM2.5 levels. As part of the solution, in the first place, pollution-causing activities that fall into the non-essential category must be restricted to a great extent. In the past, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had reported significant reductions in pollutant levels after the Supreme Court imposed restrictions on bursting crackers after 2017. There is clear evidence that curb on fire-cracker burning could improve the health of Delhi winters. At a time when climate risks are at an all-time high, people should shed their rigidity and realign their actions with the changing scenario. On the stubble burning front, governments are failing miserably in the northern part of the country. Their failure can be broadly divided in two parts — inability in forging inter-governmental collaborations towards tackling the menace, and inability in providing enough incentives to the farmers to budge from their longstanding procedure of dealing with the stubble by burning it. Contrary to forming collaborations, politicians across the state find it more rewarding to indulge in mutual mudslinging. State governments have been also failing in scaling up numerous innovations that can potentially utilize the stubbles to the best advantage. The clock is ticking fast, and every moment counts. The biggest problem, it appears, is the ability to break the inertia and act in an appropriate manner. Neither there are enough incentives nor the required deterrents in this regard. We need both to ensure that our cities and citizens remain in good health. Inaction at the political level, and at the mass level, are two aspects that have been perpetuating the air pollution problem. They both feed on each other. The cycle has to be broken sooner than later. Smartest among the people and most concerned among the governments should lead the way forward. A bottom-up approach is the need of the hour — those who are being affected need to realize the urgency for action in this regard. Not much time is left. Let's mend our ways, today.