Climate expert Rafay Alam says improvements in environment not overnight solutions

A conference^[1] on tackling the issue of air pollution^[2] is currently underway at the Expo Centre in Lahore as part of DawnMedia’s ‘Breathe Pakistan^[3]’ initiative.

The conference is being held with the aim of shedding on actionable solutions, fosters high-level dialogue, and driving collective action for cleaner air in Pakistan. Sessions are covering a broad range of themes, including governance and policy frameworks, financing^[4] clean air, smog and industrial responsibility, judicial activism^[5], public health impacts, nationwide air quality standards, and regional cooperation on transboundary pollution^[6].

Find out more about the agenda for today’s conference here^[7].

01:05pm: Environmental lawyer Rafay Alam says improvements in environment not overnight solutions

Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer, said that while people liked to have a clean environment, they had cosmetic superficial ambitions in this regard.

“Look at it this way: you have to use the black and white of printed policy paper to manifest the change in the quality of the air outside. That requires an immense and very accurate amount of data. You can’t do it without that.”

He went on to say that most improvements in the environment were not overnight solutions and took time.

12:50pm — Session on ‘Financing Clean Air for Pakistan’ begins

World Bank Senior Environment Specialist Shafick Hoossein started off the session by giving a presentation as part of the session ‘Financing Clean Air for Pakistan’.

Hoossein stated that 99pc of the world’s population breathes air that does not meet the WHO standards. Out of international development funds, only 1pc is provided to address the issue of air quality, he added.

Fatima Attarwala, editor at Dawn’s Business & Finance weekly, is moderating the session. In her remarks, she said that the conversation would focus on how to make air pollution work for Pakistan.

12:49pm — Ahsan Iqbal asks developed world to do more

The planning minister further said that everyone had heard the “grand announcements at COP after COP”.

“We have seen the press releases and the photo ops. But where is the action? This inaction is feulling the storms that drown our children. Your emissions are the poison in our lungs … Now, we ask the developed world to do more.”

He went on to say: “The time for blame is over. The time for action is now. Let’s rollup our sleeves, let’s clear the air and let’s get to work.”

12:47pm — This year’s floods ‘not a natural disaster, but a man-made climate catastrophe’

Ahsan Iqbal said the poisoned air was not just one symptom of a deeper sickness but a “climate crisis that is pounding our nation with terrifying fury”.

He also mentioned this year’s monstrous monsoon floods, stating that they were not a natural disaster, but a “man-made climate catastrophe”.

“Over 1,200 lives lost, 4 million countrymen displaced and economic haemorrhage in billions of dollars. I have walked through those flood camps, and I have seen because my own district (Narowal) was one of the worst affected.

“This is the human face of climate injustice.”

12:46pm — Pakistan bears a burden it did not create: Ahsan Iqbal

The planning minister also highlighted that Pakistan was bearing a burden it did not contribute as much to.

“Every action is a bullet in this fight for clean air. And I say to our international partners and the global community, that Pakistan bears a burden it did not create. We are on the frontlines of a war we did not start. We are doing our part with limited resources,” Iqbal said.

“We call for the urgent delivery and scaling up of climate finance. The promises made in Glasgow and Sharm el-Sheikh but become a reality on the ground in Pakistan.

“We need access to cutting-edge green technology on preferential terms,” he said, calling for the “major emitters of the world” to increase their net-zero timelimes.

“Our survival should not be negotiable in their boardrooms.”

12:33pm — Polluted air ‘holding our nation back’: planning minister

Calling the issue a “battle for survival”, Ahsan Iqbal stressed the need to “confront a brutal, inescapable truth — the air we breathe is making us sick and it is holding our nation back”.

“As of yesterday, our air was not just poor, it was a toxic cocktail, a public health emergency. Lahore’s AQI at 400 is a red alert for our nation,” the planning minister pointed out.

“Let’s be clear; this is not just Lahore’s problem. Karachi, Faisalabad, Peshawar, almost all our urban engines are drowning in pollution.

“To put that in human terms, breathing this air is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.”

He cited a study as stating that pollution levels witness a spike during winters, but also underscored that the levels have a “very steady line through summers also”.

12:28pm — The very air we breathe has become our enemy, says Ahsan Iqbal

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal termed the ‘Breathe Pakistan’ initiative “very timely”. “This conference is not only about pollution; it is about leadership, partnership, and collaboration.”

“When we look out the window, the beautiful bustling city of Lahore, we find it suffocating. Its vibrant heart is struggling and its lungs are choked.

“The very air we breathe has become our enemy.”

11:52am — Short break

11:45am — ‘EPA to be expanded to entire Punjab next year’

Silwat Saeed also highlighted the various measures being taken by the Punjab government, including an environment protection force, which she said is being experimented with for the first time in the province.

“This is actually providing miraculous results,” the Punjab environment department official said, noting that the teams had specialised equipment with them.

Saeed said the force, currently in Lahore, will also be expanded to the rest of Punjab, with 10 industrial hotspots to be prioritised initially and the entire province next year.

11:42am — ‘Air quality monitors in Punjab increased from 2 to 41 in past year’

Silwat Saeed detailed Punjab’s three-pronged approach to tackle air pollution, which comprises first monitoring the quality of the air we breathe, then mitigating it, and then finally engaging with the citizenry to inform and empower them.

“Without localised data, there is nothing that can work. […] In earlier decades, we were sitting in the dark, we didn’t know what was wrong. Now that has changed.”

The Punjab official stated that the number of air quality monitors has increased from two to 41 in the past year. “Within the next 6-7 months, the number would be 100 for the entire Punjab.”

She further noted that a detailed study was currently being undertaken by the Punjab government to see why the air in the province had pollutants that “are affecting our health”.

11:38am — ‘First time that Punjab’s development programme has been climate-tagged’

The Punjab environment department official asserted that it was for the first time that the province’s development programme had been “climate-tagged”.

“You would be seeing that the transport sector has been given around Rs269bn that has been tagged for climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes,” she said, referring to the largest allocation.

Others were Rs95bn for raising awareness, Rs65bn for capacity building, Rs62bn for water resources, Rs47bn for forestry, and Rs16bn for agriculture and livestock.

Saeed noted that it was a cross-sectoral issue and the “real villain is not a single entity which you can point out and fix”.

11:30am — Pakistan located in a ‘geographical trap’, adding to its pollution woes: Silwat Saeed

Silwat Saeed noted that urbanisation has also resulted in the “huge menace of smog”, but it was also a manifestation of deteriorating air quality, which becomes palpable because of temperature inversions.

The Punjab official further highlighted that Pakistan was located in a “geographical trap” that added to its pollution woes.

“The northern area of this entire region is actually the foothill of the Himalayas, and the foothills would act as a lid when all the pollutants from the region get trapped and then they whirl around within the cities in the region, not only in Pakistan but also in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.”

11:24am — Session 2 on a ‘greener Punjab’ begins

Silwat Saeed, Punjab’s Environment Protection and Climate Change Department secretary, kicked off the day’s second session, ‘A Greener Punjab To Combat Air Pollution’.

She appreciated DawnMedia for “uniting” her department to speak about how environmental governance was being transformed at a sub-national level.

“This problem is not some distant abstract thing. It is right in front of us.”

She noted that it was not the first time the world was seeing the issue of air pollution, mentioning the advancement in industrialisation in Europe during the last century.

11:20am — ‘About 5pc of entire global GDP lost because of pollution’

Mohamed Yahya said that “about $6 trillion annually, about 5pc of the entire global GDP, is lost because of pollution”.

“There’s no better and more heartbreaking place to discuss this issue. I want to congratulate the Dawn group [for organising the conference].”

Recalling last year’s smog, the UN official said the stain was so profound here in Lahore that it was visible from space. “A glaring testament of what needs to be done.”

“The smog is our creation.”

11:18am — ‘Silent pandemic’ of air pollution a global emergency: UN resident coordinator

“The science is clear,” UN’s Yahya said, adding that the numbers should shake everyone. Citing WHO estimates, he pointed out that “99pc of us in this room and 99pc of humanity breathes air that is unsafe”.

“Let that number be something that galvanises us. This is not a distant threat. It’s a global siege. About seven million people lose their lives every year because of the air they breathe.

“It’s the single greatest environmental risk of our lives and a silent pandemic.”

**11:13am — What happens when the air we breathe turns against us?: UN’s Yahya

UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator for Pakistan, Mohamed Yahya, termed the air we breathe as “our most intimate and non-negotiable relationship with our world”.

“It’s not an abstract concept but a fabric of life itself, the substance that fuels our cells, our lungs, our dreams. But what happens when that very substance turns against us? When the air we breathe becomes a slow-acting poison?” he asked.

**11:10am — Musadik Malik notes China leading solar revolution after smog problems 10-15 years ago

The climate change minister noted that the South Asian cities of Lahore and New Delhi were not mentioned when the issue of the most polluted cities was highlighted 10-15 years ago.

“The names mentioned were Beijing and Shanghai, and now they are providing 60-75pc of the world’s solar technology. Not only did they fix their cities, but they also led the solar revolution throughout the world to counter the problem they were facing”.

11:04am — Policy in works to update old oil refineries: minister Malik

Hailing the “amazing initiatives” being carried out under CM Maryam Nawaz, the climate minister said 8,000 to 10,000 bikes have been distributed, 600 or 500 e-buses are on the roads or will be launched, and anti-smog guns have been installed.

“We will keep bringing higher standards for fuel. We’ve made a policy to update our old refineries … can be brought up to the best standards in the world,” the federal minister said, adding that incentives were to be given as well and some companies were working on the policy.

10:55am — Climate minister Musadik Malik calls air pollution a man-made phenomenon

Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik called air pollution a man-made phenomenon, adding that it was up to us to fix it. He noted that climate change and environmental issues were not major objectives in the past and hard work was being carried out to fix this.

He refrained from citing different laws and policies, but said that the federal government and Punjab were doing very good work with regard to climate change.

The minister said around 40pc of children’s lung functioning were affected due to polluted air.

He added: “This is not just smog. Also look at it through the lens of death. And it is not just death. Also look at it through the lens of love, and when you see the faces hidden behind the haze, maybe then we will solve the issues more quickly.”

10:45am — Musadik Malik mentions link between life expectancy and air pollution

Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik is addressing the event via a video link, apologising that he could not reach Lahore due to “some special circumstances, as you know”.

“Pollution and all these environmental hazards … they stand in the way of our success,” the minister said.

He recalled that his father had been in a coma during his last days and prayed for “just one more day” for his life. Stressing the importance of life, Malik said five to eight years of the lives of all Lahore residents, including elders, were wasted due to smog.

“We probably do not associate this with the grief and mortality that comes ahead of us because of smog or air pollution,” he said, adding that according to some estimates, 128,000 premature deaths occur in Pakistan every year, and a person’s five to eight years of life are cut short due to air pollution.

10:37am — Mandatory recycling bins in Punjab schools from Oct 30

The Punjab minister also reflected on her recent visits to Japan. “The entire waste management in Japan is for segregated waste, so that technology cannot be brought to Pakistan,” she said.

“So now we’re going to China for that technology and waste incinerators. We’ve started this in schools. We thought schools would be the right place to start this and embed it into our curriculum. After Oct 30, the schools have to keep five recycling bins at schools mandatory,” Aurangzeb said.

10:30am — ‘Transboundary arrangement’ may now be taken up with UN, WB after recent events: Punjab minister

Marriyum Aurangzeb also observed the lack of data regarding air pollution and highlighted the phenomenon of transboundary pollution.

“The major seasonal contributor to high AQI levels in Lahore and Multan … that easterly wind corridor from India plays a critical role and is a major contributor to seasonal AQI levels. We had started a transboundary arrangement but because of recent events, we may take this forward with the UN or World Bank.”

“Breathe Pakistan is a great initiative for spreading awareness … the responsibility is shared, and whatever we choose has consequences on the environment and climate change,” Aurangzeb stressed.

10:26 — ‘Climate Change Vision 2025 tells policy and action plan for next 10 years’

Aurangzeb pointed out that Punjab’s Climate Change Vision 2025 detailed the policy and action plan for the next 10 years.

She highlighted that the Punjab government introduced vehicle fitness certificates for the “first time ever”.

“We are using safe city cameras to identify smoke coming from cars. We have a Punjab Clean Air Programme, which also has a buy-back policy of old vehicles, two-wheelers and three-wheelers.

’[…] For the first time ever, we have mobile fuel testing labs. EPA Punjab has started fuel testing to test petrol at petrol stations in Punjab. In the last eight months, 1,100 electric buses have arrived in Punjab.“

10:21 — Aurangzeb lists steps taken by Punjab govt to tackle smog

Aurangzeb emphasised that Punjab now had a state-of-the-art environmental force. Listing the steps taken by the provincial government, she said a subsidy programme with 80pc paid by the government was initiated and Lahore Division now had 5,000 superseeders.

Stubble burning zones were mapped, investment was done in the mechanisation of agriculture, and drone monitoring for industrial units is carried out. Around 11,000 brick kilns across the Punjab were also mapped and those without zigzag technology were sealed.

10:17 — Punjab minister details CM Maryam’s smog mitigation plan

The Punjab senior minister recalled the smog mitigation plan launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

“When I speak about Punjab interventions, we have completed the entire legal framework. We are now doing AI-predictable modelling for forecasting AQI levels,” Aurangzeb highlighted.

“Localisation of smog mitigation was critical to the intervention, so we took a multi-sectoral lens to smog mitigation,” she said, noting smog guns imported two months ago and deployed in Lahore.

“For predictable forecasting, we have 41 air monitors across Punjab, and will have 100 across Punjab by 2026.”

10:12am — Marriyum Aurangzeb says such initiatives key to tackling climate change issues

Beginning her address, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb noted the presence of “lots of experts, media people and policymakers and civil society”, adding that it reflected the shared responsibility toward climate resilience and climate adaptation.

Thanking DawnMedia for taking the initiative, the Punjab minister said she was a “bit sceptical” when she participated in the February conference. “I did not think it would be a sustainable initiative. So my heartfelt congrats to Naz, to you and the Dawn group for sustaining this initiative because that is the key to issues like climate change.”

“I want other media groups to be made part of this initiative. I will present a case study from our chief minister. Lahore, a heritage hotspot of Pakistan, [and] the heartbeat of Pakistan, is confronted with seasonal smog. This is a year-long phenomenon. AQI levels of Lahore and other regions of Punjab were not satisfactory, so we started working on smog mitigation objectives,” Aurangzeb highlighted.

She said her government was “in shock that we are talking about it in March” when she called a meeting, as the air quality issue is a year-long phenomenon. “We started off with a multi-sectoral lens for climate change.”

10:07am — Dawn CEO Nazafreen stresses commitment to cleaner skies

Inaugurating the moot, Nazafreen Saigol-Lakhani, the CEO of Dawn, says: “On behalf of DawnMedia, it is an honour and my responsibility to welcome you all to Breathe Pakistan’s The Air We Breathe — a critical gathering focused on one of the most urgent challenges, air pollution.”

Recalling the initiative’s launch, she said: “Our aim was to start a national dialogue on climate change. At the first conference, experts came together to issue a charter for a climate-resilient Pakistan.

“Today, The Air We Breathe builds on that momentum. As we enter another smog season, this conference focuses on practical tangible measures to tackle air pollution,” Saigol-Lakhani added.

She further said, “We are helping to weave a living network of collaboration to ensure shared commitments … I hope today’s discussions will inspire collective action and send a strong message that the health of people and the future of Pakistan are not policy points but our priorities.

“Let us commit to cleaner skies and a healthier environment for generations to come.”

9:57am — Conference begins

The conference has begun, with the national anthem being played, followed by the recitation of the Holy Quran.

Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and the UN’s Pakistan Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Yahya are seated ready for the first session.

9:45am — Participants speak to each other ahead of session

9:35am — Guests are seated inside the venue

Guests are seated inside the Expo Centre as the conference is about to kick off.

Wonder what your carbon footprint is? Calculate here^[8].

More to follow

References

1. ^{^} conference (www.dawn.com)
2. ^{^} air pollution (www.dawn.com)
3. ^{^} Breathe Pakistan (breatheconferenceagenda.dawn.com)
4. ^{^} financing (www.dawn.com)
5. ^{^} judicial activism (www.dawn.com)
6. ^{^} transboundary pollution (www.dawn.com)
7. ^{^} here (breatheconferenceagenda.dawn.com)
8. ^{^} here (www.dawn.com)