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Pakistan’s Air Pollution: Research, Policy & Practice
The Consortium for Development Policy Research (CDPR), International Growth Centre (IGC) and Mahbub-ul-Haq Research Centre (MHRC) hosted a workshop to assess the causes and impact of air pollution in Pakistan. This note is based on the workshop discussion. The two sub themes discussed included data issues and regulatory challenges in tackling air pollution. Participants included government representatives, international development agencies, representatives from civil society, the legal community, and academic researchers. The workshop identified ‘low-hanging fruits’ i.e., some immediate and actionable measures which could easily be taken to tackle air pollution. While air pollution on its own is an immediate concern for Pakistani citizens, especially in urban areas, it is also critical to the issue of climate change since it affects the sustainability and liveability of cities.
Participants included:
Dr. Parvez Hassan (Senior Partner, Hassan and Hassan)
Dr. Omar Masud (CEO, Urban Unit)
Dr. Sanval Nasim (Assistant Professor, Colby College)
Nazish Afraz (Programme Economist, SEED)
Shotaro Nakamura (Ph.D. Candidate, UC Davis)
Mohammad Malick (Lead Survey Wing, IDEAS)
Amna Shahab (Director, ECOlogical)
Ahmad Imran Aslam (Environment Specialist, World Bank)
The workshop tied in well with the work IGC and CDPR are undertaking this year on setting an agenda on climate change in Pakistan. The aim of this activity is to: i) bring the climate change onto the decision-making agenda of the government and relevant stakeholders; ii) create an understanding of the current climate policy landscape and state of knowledge; iii) identify concrete policy initiatives/ interventions for mitigation/ adaptation to impacts of climate change; iv) engage with global community and discourse for climate research and action.
Air quality is a key focus area under the sustainable and resilient city’s sub-theme within this agenda setting activity.