FairFinance launched a digital campaign that will address legislative, participatory and societal perspectives. Photo: File
69.5% of Pakistan’s population will lose their lives within 5 years due to neurological, cardiovascular and lung diseases with the current level of air pollution.
The average annual exposure to particulate pollution per person in Pakistan is 63 µg/m3, 12 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended 5 µg/m3 17% of deaths in Pakistan are due to air pollution, a cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 25% of annual deaths are due to particulate air pollution.
According to Fair Finance Pakistan’s survey and campaign, clean air legislation, better air quality monitoring measures and more investment in low-carbon technologies are called for to improve air quality for the people of Pakistan, Clean Air. On the occasion of the World Day of Fair Finance Pakistan has launched a digital campaign #LegislateNow which will highlight legislation, strong public-private partnerships, technology investments and civil society approaches to tackle pollution. To redevelop the financial role.
Campaign data shows that Punjab, Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are the most air-polluted provinces and their population is likely to lose 4.6 years of life expectancy. And the associated health care costs, reduced productivity, and resulting lost work days.
Everyone must act on the air pollution crisis, Asim Jafri
Asim Jafari, country program lead Fair Finance Pakistan, said that policy circles and other stakeholders should adopt clean air legislation to help people get out of the air pollution crisis, compared to Americans in 1970 before the passage of the Clean Air Act. Facing 65% less particulate pollution, Pakistan has great potential to emulate the learnings from the US on this front.
He added that public and private sector investment should be mobilized to address social challenges, providing technical assistance in the transition to clean technologies and renewable energy sources will promote a low-carbon, sustainable and resilient economy. And will help in Pakistan’s energy crisis.
According to the Air Quality Life Index 2023 report, if the level of PM 2.5 is reduced from the current level to the level recommended by the World Health Organization of 5 µg/m3, Pakistanis can gain up to 7 years of life. In urban cities where particulate pollution due to industrial emissions is high, reducing carbon emissions can prolong life and contribute positively to GDP.
A policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is essential
Nazeefa Butt of Pakistan WWF said that if we are to improve air quality and combat smog, as well as move towards low-carbon development, continuous inventory of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and air A quality monitoring system that can include reporting and evaluation is essential for data-driven policy-making where there is smoke, solutions to develop standards and policies to reduce air pollution, and air quality measures, including in outer cities. More comprehensive monitoring is necessary.
Coalition member Nadeem Iqbal, CEO, Network for Consumer Protection, recommends that air quality data be made public to maintain transparency and stimulate greater citizen action for air quality initiatives and solutions. Public awareness is crucial, creating carbon markets, boosting private sector investment in low-carbon technologies and building political coordination at the national level can put Pakistan on the path to cleaner air, millions of farmers, Changing the behavior of small businesses and households is key to moving towards cleaner energy use in agriculture, business and cooking practices.
Transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy is the solution, Hussain Jarwar
Hussain Jarwar, CEO, Indus Consortium, said that transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy is one of the key solutions to tackling Pakistan’s air pollution crisis. Create and allocate resources to integrate environmental policies into other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, energy, industry, transport.
In Pakistan, the death rate of young children due to air pollution is high
Combustion of biomass fuel for cooking and heating, emissions from small-scale industries like brick kilns, burning of municipal and agricultural waste are some of the unique sources of air pollution in Pakistan that affect indoor and ambient air quality in urban and rural areas. affect and have serious health effects especially on vulnerable groups such as women, children, low-income neighborhoods.
The Global Burden Disease Report shows that among all South Asian countries, Pakistan has the highest death rate for children under 5 years of age due to outdoor air pollution. It is 110 while in India this rate is 69, in Nepal 47, in Bangladesh 39 and in Bangladesh.
Due to the lack of clean air, lung, eye and skin diseases later, Mahmoud Cheema
Mehmood Akhtar Cheema of IUCN Pakistan stressed on the right to clean air as a basic human right, it is a major health problem that affects human beings due to lung, eye, skin and many other diseases. He reiterated the need for better collaboration, knowledge sharing, partnerships, and adopting a science-based approach to inform policy decisions on clean air. Rapid climate changes exacerbate this problem and its impact multiplies.
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