Moot under DawnMedia’s ‘Breathe Pakistan’ initiative will spotlight actionable solutions and drive collective action for cleaner air in Pakistan.
A conference[1] on tackling the issue of air pollution[2] is to begin shortly at the Expo Centre in Lahore as part of DawnMedia’s ‘Breathe Pakistan[3]’ initiative.
Air pollution has become one of the most pressing public health and environmental crises facing Pakistan, and Lahore in particular is no stranger to this phenomenon.
Once celebrated for its gardens, the city now ranks among the most polluted in the world, with PM2.5 levels far exceeding safety limits set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Other major cities — including Karachi[4], Faisalabad[5], and Peshawar[6] — face similar challenges, driven by industrial emissions, vehicular exhaust, stubble burning, and poor enforcement of environmental regulations.
The conference is being organised in collaboration with the United Nations and the Government of Punjab. The Pakistan Business Council will be a knowledge partner, while Ipsos, Climate Forward Pakistan and Carbon Track will be research partners.
The conference will spotlight actionable solutions, foster high-level dialogue, and drive collective action for cleaner air in Pakistan. Sessions will cover a broad range of themes, including governance and policy frameworks, financing[7] clean air, smog and industrial responsibility, judicial activism[8], public health impacts, nationwide air quality standards, and regional cooperation on transboundary pollution[9].
Notable speakers expected to speak at today’s moot include Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, federal and provincial ministers, Supreme Court’s Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha Malik, and Lahore High Court’s Justice Jawad Hassan.
Senior United Nations’ officials, global health experts, economists, and corporate leaders are also set to give their insights on the pressing matter.
The initiative is also supported by leading commercial stakeholders and several other public and private organisations, including English Biscuit Manufacturers, Bank of Punjab, Punjab’s Environment Protection & Climate Change Department, OMODA & JAECOO-Nishat Group and NDMRF, among others, “reflecting a strong and growing alliance across sectors to address the urgent challenges posed by steeply rising air pollution in Pakistan,” DawnMedia stated.
Find out more about the agenda for today’s conference here[10].
Wonder what your carbon footprint is? Calculate here[11].
More to follow
References
- ^ conference (www.dawn.com)
- ^ air pollution (www.dawn.com)
- ^ Breathe Pakistan (breatheconferenceagenda.dawn.com)
- ^ Karachi (www.dawn.com)
- ^ Faisalabad (www.dawn.com)
- ^ Peshawar (www.dawn.com)
- ^ financing (www.dawn.com)
- ^ judicial activism (www.dawn.com)
- ^ transboundary pollution (www.dawn.com)
- ^ here (breatheconferenceagenda.dawn.com)
- ^ here (www.dawn.com)