On an August morning shaped by monsoon rains, Dhaka's air offered its residents a seasonal reprieve — an AQI of 68 placing the city 27th among the world's most polluted, a ranking that signals neither triumph nor safety, but a temporary easing of a chronic burden. For most, the air posed little threat; for the vulnerable — the asthmatic, the elderly, the already-strained — even moderation carries consequence. Across the globe, cities like Kampala, Dubai, and Jakarta breathed far heavier air, reminding us that pollution is not merely an environmental condition but a measure of how equitably the