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The biggest complexity in environmental challenge is the transboundary nature of the issues. Unlike land boundaries, environment cannot be separated with fences, walls or military deployment. Therefore, environment quality in one state mostly affects the quality in the other. Though the environmental assets, e.g., air, oceans, and outer space, etc. are of common benefit for all the states, yet states try to avoid playing their part in their protection.
The historic city of Lahore, the heart of Pakistan, once famous as the city of gardens, has now a new label attached to its fame. Unfortunately, this new label is not something the residents of Pakistan in general and those of the city in particular can be very proud of. With the Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 160 in the second week of March 2023, Lahore is now among the top ten most polluted cities of the world with respect to air quality.1 In March 2023, with 97.4 micrograms of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 present per cubic meter of air, Lahore was declared the most polluted city in the world by IQAir, a Switzerland-based international think-tank on air quality.2 In December 2021 too, with Air Quality Index score of 296, Lahore was ranked as the city with the worst air quality.3 An alarming report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) claims that only 1% of the population on our planet enjoys breathing fresh and clean air. This lack of clean air causes nearly 7 million early deaths4 making air pollution the fourth biggest cause of death globally.5 The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution estimated that only in the year 2019, more than 128,000 Pakistanis died of diseases related to bad air quality. Other cities most affected by smog problem in Pakistan include Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Kasur, Muridke, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi and Sheikhupura. Smog has emerged as the most concerning environmental problem in Lahore and other eastern urban centers of Pakistan. Out of the 20 most polluted cities, 15 are located in India, making it the biggest source of regional air pollution and smog.
With the Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 160 in the second week of March 2023, Lahore is now among the top ten most polluted cities of the world with respect to air quality.
Understanding Smog and Air Pollution
Smog (smoke and fog) is a dense mixture of smoke, fog, dust, and other industrial pollutants, forming a thick haze over the sky. It is a photochemical oxidation of organic materials, originating with the petroleum industry and automobiles.6 Mainly, temperature inversion traps pollution present in the atmosphere to form a haze over the horizon. Usually, water droplets in the air trap pollution particles and particulate matter. The term "smog" was first used in the early 1900s to describe this new form of air pollution emerging due to the burning of coal in industrial areas. Initially surfacing and remaining a familiar sight in the industrial areas, smog has now become a common sight in some cities today. The main sources of smog that affects Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as North Indian Plain, are carbon (organic, black), dust, nitrates, sulfates, forest fires, automobiles, power plants (coal-based) and industries in the region.7 Air quality is determined by the levels of air pollutants which include; PM 2.5, PM 10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Particulate matter comprises tiny particles that negatively impact the health. PMs vary in size and most harmful among them are PM 2.5 and PM 10, with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers (μm) and 10 μm, respectively. PM 2.5 levels lower than 12 are considered good, 55-150 unhealthy, and 250 or above is hazardous. PM 2.5, which refers to particulate matter with a diameter equal to or less than 2.5 μm, poses the greatest health threat and is often used as a metric in legal air quality standards. When inhaled, PM 2.5 is absorbed deep into the bloodstream and linked to illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, lung disease and cancer. To address this air pollution crisis, experts warn that governments must take urgent action to strengthen air quality regulation, including monitoring capacity to track PM 2.5 and other pollutants.
Smog has emerged as the most concerning environmental problem in Lahore and other eastern urban centers of Pakistan. Out of the 20 most polluted cities, 15 are located in India, making it the biggest source of regional air pollution and smog.
The Indian Factor behind Air Pollution and Smog in Pakistan
The smog in Lahore is caused by a confluence of metrological and anthropogenic factors.8 Increasing air pollution due to urbanization and industrialization in and around Lahore, along with the seasonal crop burning on the Indian-Pakistani border, combines with other sources of year-round pollution and fog to cause a spike in pollution and winter smog. Over the past 15 years, Lahore has lost a significant proportion of its tree cover due to an aggressive plan to build highways, underpasses, and overpasses. Car sales in the city are booming, and many of the cars plying the roads spew toxic emissions due to a lack of vehicular inspections and widespread adulteration of fuel. Even the unadulterated form of fuel available in Lahore is of low quality, compared to the international standards.
Apart from these localized reasons, one big factor behind huge level of air and groundwater pollution is unchecked urbanization and pollution in India. As cited above, India has the greatest number of polluted cities in the world. According to another report, thirty-five out of fifty most polluted cities in the world during the year 2017 to 2021 were in India.9 It is worth noting that smog problem in Pakistan was also exported by India. In the recent years, during winter season, Northeastern India and the neighboring sections of Punjab in Pakistan have been witnessing the influence of a high-pressure system that creates dry cold weather and low wind speed, which conjoins with air pollution to create smog in this region. Indian Punjab was the first region to face smog problem due to unchecked vehicular and industrial pollution and burning of crop ruminants by farmers. A study published in Brazilian Journal of Biology revealed that as per the Air Quality Index (AQI), the level of pollution in Wagah Town on Indian border was twofold, than the level of pollution in the downtown areas of the Lahore city.10 The study was based on ambient air quality monitored at different sites of Lahore (Jail road, Gulberg, and Wagah Border). The analysis of the data made shocking revelations that primary and secondary pollutants had large variations at different sites of Lahore. The weekly average of PM 2.5 showed that concentration range of PM 2.5 at Wagah border was comparatively higher (72μg/m3-158μg/m3) than concentration range of PM 2.5 in the ambient air of Jail road (24μg/m3-176μg/m3) and Gulberg (22μg/m3-80μg/m3).11 This shows how transboundary air from India has been a vital component in pushing Lahore into the deep dense poisonous haze. Amritsar, Chandigarh, Gurgaon and New Delhi are located in close proximity to Lahore causing transboundary air problem.
Increasing air pollution due to urbanization and industrialization in and around Lahore, along with the seasonal crop burning on the Indian-Pakistani border, combines with other sources of year-round pollution and fog to cause a spike in pollution and winter smog.
India has the greatest number of polluted cities in the world. According to another report, thirty-five out of fifty most polluted cities in the world during the year 2017 to 2021 were in India.
With an already disappointing level of air quality, Indian government ironically relaxed compliance rules for coalmines in 2022 due to which coal production increased up to 11 percent within months. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 revealed that 1.67 million deaths were attributable to air pollution in India in 2019, accounting for 17.8% of the
total deaths in the country.12 Similarly, premature death by air pollution caused massive economic losses to India in 2019, amounting to USD 36.8 billion.13 This total loss of $36.8 billion (27.4-47.7) was 1.36% of India's gross domestic product (GDP).14 In the view of the Brazilian Journal of Biology cited above, about transboundary impact of air pollution in India, it would be highly incongruent to believe that no impact of this would have been transferred towards Pakistan. It is also significant to consider that most of Indian cities are located at farther distances from Indian Punjab than the cities of Pakistan.
Though no direct study is available to measure the economic and health impact of transboundary pollution from India on Pakistan, yet combining these two studies suggests that Pakistan has been suffering heavily due to worsening air quality in India. In this backdrop, Pakistan’s Minister for Climate Change expressed the same view.15 World Air Quality Report 2022 claims that the lack of National Emission Inventory (NEI) is a major cause of unchecked air pollution in India. Though some improvements in monitoring air quality have been made, yet the country lacks the ability to track the progress of reduction strategies through an effective and reliable emissions inventory.16 The ability to attribute emissions to their respective sources is necessary to monitor the progress of emissions-lowering initiatives that India lacks as per the report.
Transboundary air pollution from India along with domestic factors makes smog a serious problem in Pakistan during winters. For many years, roads have been closed due to low visibility caused by smog, bringing economic activities and social life at a halt. In December 2022, the dense smog led to the forced closure of schools for up to three days every week in Lahore under a court decree.17 In the same month, flights operation was also disrupted at the international airport of Lahore and several other cities.18 Due to the severity of the problem, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had to temporarily shift its operations from Lahore. The train services also suffered from the dense smog. Additionally, disease burden also increases in winter and more patients visit hospitals for respiratory diseases. The new smog season has also significantly increased the number of such patients. Both the qualitative and quantitative cost of this disruption of normal life and economic activity is enormous for Pakistan that is already suffering from an economic crunch.
A Common but Differentiated Responsibility?
The biggest complexity in environmental challenge is the transboundary nature of the issues. Unlike land boundaries, environment cannot be separated with fences, walls or military deployment. Therefore, environment quality in one state mostly affects the quality in the other. Though the environmental assets, e.g., air, oceans, and outer space, etc. are of common benefit for all the states, yet states try to avoid playing their part in their protection. This ultimately leads to the deterioration of the global common, creating a problem for all. This was described as the tragedy of global commons by Garrett Hardin in his famous thesis.19 Apparently, the transboundary air pollution is also facing the same tragedy due to incessant ignoring of the complexity of the issue by the Indian government. However, international environmental norms are clear in this regard. During the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, states agreed to the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. This principle acknowledges that protection of environment and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is a common responsibility of all the states. Yet those states having more historical share should get more share of responsibility. There is no harm that such a principle should be applied on the situation of transboundary air pollution in the subcontinent. This, coupled with the international law principle of responsibility, i.e., not to harm others, further strengthens the case. From International Law, one can cite several examples. The most famous and relevant example in this regard can be Singapore-Malaysia haze pollution issue. Due to the burning of palm trees by farmers in Indonesia to grow younger trees for better production, Singapore suffered from thick haze. Singapore and Malaysia jointly raised the issue in the United Nations (UN) in 2006, while the former also passed a legislation in 2014, criminalizing conduct which can cause or contribute to haze pollution in the country. The Trial Smelter Case (USA versus Canada) is also another example from International Environmental Law that a state cannot allow the use of its territory in any way that can cause harm to life or property in another state.
In the recent years, during winter season, Northeastern India and the neighboring sections of Punjab in Pakistan have been witnessing the influence of a high-pressure system that creates dry cold weather and low wind speed, which conjoins with air pollution to create smog in this region.
During the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, states agreed to the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. This principle acknowledges that protection of environment and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is a common responsibility of all the states.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The case for Pakistan being the victim of environmental injustice in the context of smog and air pollution is very strong. There is an urgent need for both countries to cooperate for transboundary management of air pollution. Both countries need to develop a joint mechanism to determine the sources of air pollution and share data. Pakistan has made significant developments in controlling air pollution, but the same is yet to be replicated by India. It is a bitter reality that politics is rarely governed by the principles of justice and fair play. Power has been the dictating principle of politics and the same stands true in this case too. In the presence of a right-wing extremist government in New Delhi, the chances of cooperation and justice seem a farfetched dream. With the increasing economic power asymmetry between Pakistan and India, no chances of cooperation can be seen on the horizon. In the recent years, India has been violating International Law norms about the status of Kashmir, and also been threatening the Indus Waters Treaty. This leaves Pakistan only with the option of unilateral measures. Pakistan has registered cases against the culprits of burning stubble and emissions from industries. Ban was imposed on burning of coal in winters in Punjab. In addition to these short-term measures, there is a need to encourage investment in energy-efficient power generation. For this purpose, international financing should also be encouraged and given priority. Additionally, vehicular emissions need to be monitored and checked in a more efficient manner. As Lahore has lost most of its forest cover, an exuberant campaign of afforestation is required in the eastern region of the country. Federal and provincial governments need to devise clean air policies taking into account the transboundary nature of the issue. It is also vital that air quality standards of the country should be revised and made more stringent and in line with the international standards. In addition to this, traffic infrastructure in urban centers needs immediate improvement to avoid gridlock on the roads resulting in extra emissions. Eco-friendly infrastructure and smart technologies can be considered as long-term targets to improve the air quality in the country. If these measures are not taken, smog will continue to be the fifth season of Pakistan.
The author is working as a Lecturer in International Relations (IR) Department at National Defence University, Pakistan. His area of interest is international politics of environment and climate change and national security of Pakistan. He is also pursuing PhD on the same topic as a subfield of IR.
Email: ameerabdullah@ndu.edu.pk
1. Live Animated Air Quality Map (AQI, PM2.5...) | AirVisual. (n.d.). www.iqair.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021, from https://www.iqair.com/air-quality-map
2. Lahore most polluted city, Pakistan third among countries: Survey. (n.d.). www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023...ed-city-pakistan-third-among-countries-survey
3. Pakistan’s Lahore again tops world’s most polluted cities list. (n.d.). www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/3/pakistan-lahore-tops-most-polluted-cities-list
4. Empowering the World to Breathe Cleaner Air | IQAir. (n.d.). www.iqair.com. Retrieved October 23, 2022, from https://www.iqair.com/newsroom/cost-of-air-pollution
5. Global Health Impacts of Air Pollution | State of Global Air. (n.d.). www.stateofglobalair.org. https://www.stateofglobalair.org/health/global
6. Haagen-Smit, A. J. (1970). A Lesson from the Smog Capital of the World. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 67(2), 887–897. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.67.2.887
7. Gautam, R. (2014). Challenges in Early Warning of the Persistent and Widespread Winter Fog over the Indo-Gangetic Plains: A Satellite Perspective. Reducing Disaster: Early Warning Systems for Climate Change, 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8598-3_3
8. Ali, S. M. (2021, November 29). How Lahore Became the World’s Most Polluted Place. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/11/29/pakistan-lahore-pollution-fossil-fuels-climate/
9. World’s Most Polluted Cities in 2020 - PM2.5 Ranking | AirVisual. (n.d.). www.iqair.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.iqair.com/in-en/world-most-polluted-cities
10. Yousaf, H. S., Abbas, M., Ghani, N., Chaudhary, H., Fatima, A., Ahmad, Z., and Yasin, S. A. (2021). A comparative assessment of air pollutants of smog in Wagah Border and other sites in Lahore, Pakistan. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 84. https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.252471
11. Ibid.
12. Pandey, A., Brauer, M., Cropper, M. L., Balakrishnan, K., Mathur, P., Dey, S., Turkgulu, B., Kumar, G. A., Khare, M., Beig, G., Gupta, T., Krishnankutty, R. P., Causey, K., Cohen, A. J., Bhargava, S., Aggarwal, A. N., Agrawal, A., Awasthi, S., Bennitt, F., and Bhagwat, S. (2020). Health and economic impact of air pollution in the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30298-9
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. . (n.d.). Twitter. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from 16. (n.d.). https://www.iqair.com/world-most-polluted-cities/world-air-quality-report-2021-en.pdf
17. Bilal, R. (2022, December 7). Smog forces closure of schools three days a week across Lahore. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/17251288
18. Flights delayed as smog blankets Punjab. (2022, December 24). The Express Tribune. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2392621/flights-delayed-as-smog-blankets-punjab
19. Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, 162 (3859), 1243–1248. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1724745
www.hilal.gov.pk
The historic city of Lahore, the heart of Pakistan, once famous as the city of gardens, has now a new label attached to its fame. Unfortunately, this new label is not something the residents of Pakistan in general and those of the city in particular can be very proud of. With the Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 160 in the second week of March 2023, Lahore is now among the top ten most polluted cities of the world with respect to air quality.1 In March 2023, with 97.4 micrograms of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 present per cubic meter of air, Lahore was declared the most polluted city in the world by IQAir, a Switzerland-based international think-tank on air quality.2 In December 2021 too, with Air Quality Index score of 296, Lahore was ranked as the city with the worst air quality.3 An alarming report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) claims that only 1% of the population on our planet enjoys breathing fresh and clean air. This lack of clean air causes nearly 7 million early deaths4 making air pollution the fourth biggest cause of death globally.5 The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution estimated that only in the year 2019, more than 128,000 Pakistanis died of diseases related to bad air quality. Other cities most affected by smog problem in Pakistan include Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Kasur, Muridke, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi and Sheikhupura. Smog has emerged as the most concerning environmental problem in Lahore and other eastern urban centers of Pakistan. Out of the 20 most polluted cities, 15 are located in India, making it the biggest source of regional air pollution and smog.
With the Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 160 in the second week of March 2023, Lahore is now among the top ten most polluted cities of the world with respect to air quality.
Understanding Smog and Air Pollution
Smog (smoke and fog) is a dense mixture of smoke, fog, dust, and other industrial pollutants, forming a thick haze over the sky. It is a photochemical oxidation of organic materials, originating with the petroleum industry and automobiles.6 Mainly, temperature inversion traps pollution present in the atmosphere to form a haze over the horizon. Usually, water droplets in the air trap pollution particles and particulate matter. The term "smog" was first used in the early 1900s to describe this new form of air pollution emerging due to the burning of coal in industrial areas. Initially surfacing and remaining a familiar sight in the industrial areas, smog has now become a common sight in some cities today. The main sources of smog that affects Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as North Indian Plain, are carbon (organic, black), dust, nitrates, sulfates, forest fires, automobiles, power plants (coal-based) and industries in the region.7 Air quality is determined by the levels of air pollutants which include; PM 2.5, PM 10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Particulate matter comprises tiny particles that negatively impact the health. PMs vary in size and most harmful among them are PM 2.5 and PM 10, with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers (μm) and 10 μm, respectively. PM 2.5 levels lower than 12 are considered good, 55-150 unhealthy, and 250 or above is hazardous. PM 2.5, which refers to particulate matter with a diameter equal to or less than 2.5 μm, poses the greatest health threat and is often used as a metric in legal air quality standards. When inhaled, PM 2.5 is absorbed deep into the bloodstream and linked to illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, lung disease and cancer. To address this air pollution crisis, experts warn that governments must take urgent action to strengthen air quality regulation, including monitoring capacity to track PM 2.5 and other pollutants.
Smog has emerged as the most concerning environmental problem in Lahore and other eastern urban centers of Pakistan. Out of the 20 most polluted cities, 15 are located in India, making it the biggest source of regional air pollution and smog.
The Indian Factor behind Air Pollution and Smog in Pakistan
The smog in Lahore is caused by a confluence of metrological and anthropogenic factors.8 Increasing air pollution due to urbanization and industrialization in and around Lahore, along with the seasonal crop burning on the Indian-Pakistani border, combines with other sources of year-round pollution and fog to cause a spike in pollution and winter smog. Over the past 15 years, Lahore has lost a significant proportion of its tree cover due to an aggressive plan to build highways, underpasses, and overpasses. Car sales in the city are booming, and many of the cars plying the roads spew toxic emissions due to a lack of vehicular inspections and widespread adulteration of fuel. Even the unadulterated form of fuel available in Lahore is of low quality, compared to the international standards.
Apart from these localized reasons, one big factor behind huge level of air and groundwater pollution is unchecked urbanization and pollution in India. As cited above, India has the greatest number of polluted cities in the world. According to another report, thirty-five out of fifty most polluted cities in the world during the year 2017 to 2021 were in India.9 It is worth noting that smog problem in Pakistan was also exported by India. In the recent years, during winter season, Northeastern India and the neighboring sections of Punjab in Pakistan have been witnessing the influence of a high-pressure system that creates dry cold weather and low wind speed, which conjoins with air pollution to create smog in this region. Indian Punjab was the first region to face smog problem due to unchecked vehicular and industrial pollution and burning of crop ruminants by farmers. A study published in Brazilian Journal of Biology revealed that as per the Air Quality Index (AQI), the level of pollution in Wagah Town on Indian border was twofold, than the level of pollution in the downtown areas of the Lahore city.10 The study was based on ambient air quality monitored at different sites of Lahore (Jail road, Gulberg, and Wagah Border). The analysis of the data made shocking revelations that primary and secondary pollutants had large variations at different sites of Lahore. The weekly average of PM 2.5 showed that concentration range of PM 2.5 at Wagah border was comparatively higher (72μg/m3-158μg/m3) than concentration range of PM 2.5 in the ambient air of Jail road (24μg/m3-176μg/m3) and Gulberg (22μg/m3-80μg/m3).11 This shows how transboundary air from India has been a vital component in pushing Lahore into the deep dense poisonous haze. Amritsar, Chandigarh, Gurgaon and New Delhi are located in close proximity to Lahore causing transboundary air problem.
Increasing air pollution due to urbanization and industrialization in and around Lahore, along with the seasonal crop burning on the Indian-Pakistani border, combines with other sources of year-round pollution and fog to cause a spike in pollution and winter smog.
India has the greatest number of polluted cities in the world. According to another report, thirty-five out of fifty most polluted cities in the world during the year 2017 to 2021 were in India.
With an already disappointing level of air quality, Indian government ironically relaxed compliance rules for coalmines in 2022 due to which coal production increased up to 11 percent within months. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 revealed that 1.67 million deaths were attributable to air pollution in India in 2019, accounting for 17.8% of the
total deaths in the country.12 Similarly, premature death by air pollution caused massive economic losses to India in 2019, amounting to USD 36.8 billion.13 This total loss of $36.8 billion (27.4-47.7) was 1.36% of India's gross domestic product (GDP).14 In the view of the Brazilian Journal of Biology cited above, about transboundary impact of air pollution in India, it would be highly incongruent to believe that no impact of this would have been transferred towards Pakistan. It is also significant to consider that most of Indian cities are located at farther distances from Indian Punjab than the cities of Pakistan. Though no direct study is available to measure the economic and health impact of transboundary pollution from India on Pakistan, yet combining these two studies suggests that Pakistan has been suffering heavily due to worsening air quality in India. In this backdrop, Pakistan’s Minister for Climate Change expressed the same view.15 World Air Quality Report 2022 claims that the lack of National Emission Inventory (NEI) is a major cause of unchecked air pollution in India. Though some improvements in monitoring air quality have been made, yet the country lacks the ability to track the progress of reduction strategies through an effective and reliable emissions inventory.16 The ability to attribute emissions to their respective sources is necessary to monitor the progress of emissions-lowering initiatives that India lacks as per the report.
Transboundary air pollution from India along with domestic factors makes smog a serious problem in Pakistan during winters. For many years, roads have been closed due to low visibility caused by smog, bringing economic activities and social life at a halt. In December 2022, the dense smog led to the forced closure of schools for up to three days every week in Lahore under a court decree.17 In the same month, flights operation was also disrupted at the international airport of Lahore and several other cities.18 Due to the severity of the problem, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had to temporarily shift its operations from Lahore. The train services also suffered from the dense smog. Additionally, disease burden also increases in winter and more patients visit hospitals for respiratory diseases. The new smog season has also significantly increased the number of such patients. Both the qualitative and quantitative cost of this disruption of normal life and economic activity is enormous for Pakistan that is already suffering from an economic crunch.
A Common but Differentiated Responsibility?
The biggest complexity in environmental challenge is the transboundary nature of the issues. Unlike land boundaries, environment cannot be separated with fences, walls or military deployment. Therefore, environment quality in one state mostly affects the quality in the other. Though the environmental assets, e.g., air, oceans, and outer space, etc. are of common benefit for all the states, yet states try to avoid playing their part in their protection. This ultimately leads to the deterioration of the global common, creating a problem for all. This was described as the tragedy of global commons by Garrett Hardin in his famous thesis.19 Apparently, the transboundary air pollution is also facing the same tragedy due to incessant ignoring of the complexity of the issue by the Indian government. However, international environmental norms are clear in this regard. During the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, states agreed to the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. This principle acknowledges that protection of environment and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is a common responsibility of all the states. Yet those states having more historical share should get more share of responsibility. There is no harm that such a principle should be applied on the situation of transboundary air pollution in the subcontinent. This, coupled with the international law principle of responsibility, i.e., not to harm others, further strengthens the case. From International Law, one can cite several examples. The most famous and relevant example in this regard can be Singapore-Malaysia haze pollution issue. Due to the burning of palm trees by farmers in Indonesia to grow younger trees for better production, Singapore suffered from thick haze. Singapore and Malaysia jointly raised the issue in the United Nations (UN) in 2006, while the former also passed a legislation in 2014, criminalizing conduct which can cause or contribute to haze pollution in the country. The Trial Smelter Case (USA versus Canada) is also another example from International Environmental Law that a state cannot allow the use of its territory in any way that can cause harm to life or property in another state.
In the recent years, during winter season, Northeastern India and the neighboring sections of Punjab in Pakistan have been witnessing the influence of a high-pressure system that creates dry cold weather and low wind speed, which conjoins with air pollution to create smog in this region.
During the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, states agreed to the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. This principle acknowledges that protection of environment and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is a common responsibility of all the states.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The case for Pakistan being the victim of environmental injustice in the context of smog and air pollution is very strong. There is an urgent need for both countries to cooperate for transboundary management of air pollution. Both countries need to develop a joint mechanism to determine the sources of air pollution and share data. Pakistan has made significant developments in controlling air pollution, but the same is yet to be replicated by India. It is a bitter reality that politics is rarely governed by the principles of justice and fair play. Power has been the dictating principle of politics and the same stands true in this case too. In the presence of a right-wing extremist government in New Delhi, the chances of cooperation and justice seem a farfetched dream. With the increasing economic power asymmetry between Pakistan and India, no chances of cooperation can be seen on the horizon. In the recent years, India has been violating International Law norms about the status of Kashmir, and also been threatening the Indus Waters Treaty. This leaves Pakistan only with the option of unilateral measures. Pakistan has registered cases against the culprits of burning stubble and emissions from industries. Ban was imposed on burning of coal in winters in Punjab. In addition to these short-term measures, there is a need to encourage investment in energy-efficient power generation. For this purpose, international financing should also be encouraged and given priority. Additionally, vehicular emissions need to be monitored and checked in a more efficient manner. As Lahore has lost most of its forest cover, an exuberant campaign of afforestation is required in the eastern region of the country. Federal and provincial governments need to devise clean air policies taking into account the transboundary nature of the issue. It is also vital that air quality standards of the country should be revised and made more stringent and in line with the international standards. In addition to this, traffic infrastructure in urban centers needs immediate improvement to avoid gridlock on the roads resulting in extra emissions. Eco-friendly infrastructure and smart technologies can be considered as long-term targets to improve the air quality in the country. If these measures are not taken, smog will continue to be the fifth season of Pakistan.
The author is working as a Lecturer in International Relations (IR) Department at National Defence University, Pakistan. His area of interest is international politics of environment and climate change and national security of Pakistan. He is also pursuing PhD on the same topic as a subfield of IR.
Email: ameerabdullah@ndu.edu.pk
1. Live Animated Air Quality Map (AQI, PM2.5...) | AirVisual. (n.d.). www.iqair.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021, from https://www.iqair.com/air-quality-map
2. Lahore most polluted city, Pakistan third among countries: Survey. (n.d.). www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023...ed-city-pakistan-third-among-countries-survey
3. Pakistan’s Lahore again tops world’s most polluted cities list. (n.d.). www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/3/pakistan-lahore-tops-most-polluted-cities-list
4. Empowering the World to Breathe Cleaner Air | IQAir. (n.d.). www.iqair.com. Retrieved October 23, 2022, from https://www.iqair.com/newsroom/cost-of-air-pollution
5. Global Health Impacts of Air Pollution | State of Global Air. (n.d.). www.stateofglobalair.org. https://www.stateofglobalair.org/health/global
6. Haagen-Smit, A. J. (1970). A Lesson from the Smog Capital of the World. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 67(2), 887–897. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.67.2.887
7. Gautam, R. (2014). Challenges in Early Warning of the Persistent and Widespread Winter Fog over the Indo-Gangetic Plains: A Satellite Perspective. Reducing Disaster: Early Warning Systems for Climate Change, 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8598-3_3
8. Ali, S. M. (2021, November 29). How Lahore Became the World’s Most Polluted Place. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/11/29/pakistan-lahore-pollution-fossil-fuels-climate/
9. World’s Most Polluted Cities in 2020 - PM2.5 Ranking | AirVisual. (n.d.). www.iqair.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://www.iqair.com/in-en/world-most-polluted-cities
10. Yousaf, H. S., Abbas, M., Ghani, N., Chaudhary, H., Fatima, A., Ahmad, Z., and Yasin, S. A. (2021). A comparative assessment of air pollutants of smog in Wagah Border and other sites in Lahore, Pakistan. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 84. https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.252471
11. Ibid.
12. Pandey, A., Brauer, M., Cropper, M. L., Balakrishnan, K., Mathur, P., Dey, S., Turkgulu, B., Kumar, G. A., Khare, M., Beig, G., Gupta, T., Krishnankutty, R. P., Causey, K., Cohen, A. J., Bhargava, S., Aggarwal, A. N., Agrawal, A., Awasthi, S., Bennitt, F., and Bhagwat, S. (2020). Health and economic impact of air pollution in the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30298-9
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. . (n.d.). Twitter. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from 16. (n.d.). https://www.iqair.com/world-most-polluted-cities/world-air-quality-report-2021-en.pdf
17. Bilal, R. (2022, December 7). Smog forces closure of schools three days a week across Lahore. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/17251288
18. Flights delayed as smog blankets Punjab. (2022, December 24). The Express Tribune. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2392621/flights-delayed-as-smog-blankets-punjab
19. Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, 162 (3859), 1243–1248. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1724745
Transboundary Air Pollution and Pakistan's Smog Challenge
The biggest complexity in environmental challenge is the transboundary nature of the issues. Unlike land boundaries, environment cannot be separated with fences, walls or military deployment. Therefore, environment quality in one state mostly affects the quality in the other. Though the...
