At one level, the stakeholders’ meeting chaired by Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, who also has the Environment and Climate Change portfolio, was perhaps a little late, for there is little that can be done this season about it, and any reforms will carry over to next winter. However, it is good to see that the Punjab government is not satisfied, as its predecessors have been, to leave the problem for the future. Ms Aurangzeb, who did her post-graduation in environment from King’s College, London, should be familiar with the problem. It should be clear to all that climate change does not cause pollution, but the other way around. If climate change is to be handled, it is through controlling air pollution. The smog phenomenon is the result of industrial pollution as well as fossil fuel burning by vehicles and power plants. Controlling these must be a priority, which should include ensuring that substandard fuels are controlled.
Another problem Ms Aurangzeb took cognizance of was plastic pollution. Plastic shoppers are bad news. Disposing of the plastic by burning may be simple, but it needlessly spews particles into the air that help Further, not only does the plastic cause untold damage when it enters the food chain, but vast amounts of plastic are killing off marine life. However, the preliminary nature of the stage at which the province is, can be assessed from the fact that the meeting decided to commission a survey of the province’s first Zoological Survey and first Digital Wildlife Survey. While Ms Aurangzeb must be lauded for having decided on these surveys, eyebrows will be raised at previous governments for having neglected this task.
At the same time as efforts are made at the provincial level, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz must also use her connections at the federal level, particularly with her uncle Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister. The problem cannot be handled by the provincial governments alone, but requires support from the federal government. In turn, the federal government alone cannot tackle the problem, but must work with other countries on this issue. Climate change may well be the greatest threat to humanity since the threat of nuclear war, but such problems as smog and plastic disposal affect everyone more immediately and more directly. They must be tackled, or life will literally not be worth living.
