Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab calls for diplomacy with India to tackle smog

The chief minister of Pakistan's most populous province called for "climate diplomacy" with neighbor and arch-rival India to combat smog ahead of the winter months, which are accompanied by dangerous levels of pollution in both nations.

Smog is a portmanteau combining "smoke" and "fog," describing the hazy air pollution that often plagues urban areas, especially on still days when vehicle emissions and industrial fumes become trapped near the ground.

"We should talk to them, this is called climate diplomacy. We should do it with India," said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, adding the two nations needed to coordinate actions to temper toxic smog, which winds carry across the border.

Over the past few years, Pakistan and India have faced a severe environmental crisis as toxic smog engulfed the Punjab and its surrounding regions on both sides of the border, causing widespread health issues.

People and vehicles are seen on a road amidst the morning smog in New Delhi, India, November 8, 2023Reuters

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified air pollution as the "single biggest environmental threat to human health."

According to WHO estimates, nearly all global inhabitants reside in areas where air quality falls short of the organization's health-protective thresholds.

Certain demographics face heightened risks, either through increased exposure or greater susceptibility to the detrimental effects of polluted air. These vulnerable groups include expecting mothers, children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, those managing respiratory conditions such as asthma, and communities already grappling with social and economic marginalization.

Smog is border blind

When cooler temperatures take hold, pollution spirals. The Pakistani city of Lahore and India's capital Delhi are among the most polluted cities in the world.

Last year, in response to extremely high levels of air pollution, the Punjab provincial government took drastic measures, mandating the closure of schools, offices, shopping centers, and parks in three major cities, including Lahore.

Air quality deteriorates in cooler months, as temperature inversion traps pollution closer to the ground, packing hospital wards with patients with respiratory problems.

The World Bank reports that the vast majority of people in Pakistan and India face significant air pollution. The combined population exposed to high pollution levels in these two nations exceeds 1.5 billion. The institution suggests that poor air quality may be linked to over 200,000 deaths in Punjab, Pakistan every year.

Rising air pollution can cut life expectancy by more than five years per person in South Asia, according to a report published last year which flagged the growing burden of hazardous air on health.

Student rides a bicycle to school amid dense smog in Lahore, Pakistan November 24, 2021.Reuters

Bad neighbors

Relations between India and Pakistan have gone through periods of thaw but have been largely frozen since they downgraded diplomatic ties in tit-for-tat moves in 2019.

India's foreign minister will visit Pakistan next week to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, the first such visit in nearly a decade. However, India's government has ruled out discussions of bilateral relations during the visit.