A plea for cross-border collaboration has been issued by a smog-choked province in eastern Pakistan to address the severe air pollution affecting major cities in both Pakistan and India. Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, with 127 million residents, has reached out to the Indian government to initiate a dialogue on this critical issue. The Punjabi Secretary for Environment and Climate Change emphasized the need for climate diplomacy as a regional and global concern.
The air pollution crisis in the region has been exacerbated by a combination of factors, including farmers burning agricultural waste, coal-fired power plants, traffic emissions, and stagnant weather conditions. Lahore, a city of over 14 million people, recently experienced its highest-ever levels of air pollution, prompting authorities to take measures such as closing schools and imposing restrictions on certain activities.
