




































 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 4(1) (2022), 1-6  

 

1 

 

 Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 

                                                          AIJHASS VOL 4 NO 1 (2022) P-ISSN 2643-0061  E-ISSN 2643-010X 
                                                  

                                                                                                                      Available online at www.acseusa.org      

                                                                                                                              Journal homepage: https://www.acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijhass 
                                                                                                                                      Published by American Center of Science and Education, USA 

ENVIRONMENTAL INSECURITY IN PAKISTAN: CONTEMPORARY 

CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES 

            
 Maham Zahoor  (a)1     

 

(a) Department of International Relations, School for Southeast Asian Studies Xiamen University, China; E-mail: mahamzahoor@stu.xmu.edu.cn 

 

 
A R T I C L E I N F O 

 
 

Article History: 
 

Received: 25th June 2022  

Accepted: 31st July 2022 

      Online Publication: 1st August 2022 

 
Keywords: 

Air Pollution, Climate Change 
Environmental Insecurity, Heat 

Waves 

 
      JEL Classification Codes :  
 

Q53, Q54, Q55, Q56, Q58 

 

  

 
A B S T R A C T 
 
This study investigates the contemporary environmental risks of air pollution and heat waves, their 

causes, and their impacts in Pakistan. The research aims to find out the reasons behind the response 

challenges despite introducing policy programs such as National Climate Change Policy Framework 

and initiatives like The Billion Tree Tsunami. This study has used a qualitative research approach by 
adding a case study analysis and an environmental expert’s opinion. The key findings have revealed 

that compared to the past, the nature of causes behind rising air pollution and intense heat waves has 

changed. Heavy traffic flow, stop-and-go traffic phenomenon, uncontrolled emissions, and rapid shifts 

in rainfall are the principal factors that harm Pakistan’s environment. From the expert’s point of view, 

the study also reveals that the response mechanism is facing hurdles due to institutional dissonance 

and lack of capacity building. Further, the findings suggest that a multi-layered approach involving 

policymakers, experts, academicians, and individuals through a community-driven approach can offer 

practical solutions. As the study has included the example of an individual-level digital response to 
current environmental threats, this research would provide a platform to make similar budget-friendly 

and technology-oriented approaches in the future. 

 
 

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee CRIBFB, USA. This article is an open access article distributed 
under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license 
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).  

            

 

INTRODUCTION 

Pakistan is an environmentally challenged country that has witnessed many disasters over the past few years. Previous 

studies have revealed that although environmental issues in Pakistan are not recent, they are the most triggered issues of this 

decade (Chakrabarty, 2012). As the country lies in a semi-arid region, it faces rapid climate change patterns and weather 

shifts causing intense heat waves and air pollution (Mustafa, Baig, & Straquadine, 2021). Pakistan’s environmental outlook 

further worsened when the Global Climate Change Index ranked Pakistan at fifth highly sensitive position in the 2020 yearly 

report (Fahad & Wang, 2020). Also, in the view of geological experts, Pakistan’s geographic design is comprised of three 

strikingly different zones- the Indus River Plain, the Northern Peaks, and the Plateau which make it environmentally 

vulnerable to disasters. The overall scenario is also facing the hurdles of institutional, governance, and administrative 

dissonance regularly causing delays in timely responses (Field & Baros, 2014). This paper has attempted to find the gaps in 

the knowledge regarding contemporary environmental concerns of air pollution and heat waves. The paper has primarily 

focused on the current causes, particular impacts as well as individual, institutional and technology-oriented responses 

catering to these risks. Also, the consultation with the country’s environmental experts during this research has contributed  

to giving a conducive approach as a solution to these climate challenges. Being recent research, this study will provide a 

platform for both government and communities to look into quick solutions in relevance to the present-day scenario, help 

academicians and researchers in making pragmatic policy frameworks, and motivate individuals for investing in tech-savvy 

measures after the success of a few initiatives mentioned in the paper. 

 

LITERATURE REVIEW 

Environmental insecurity brings the risk of damaging the biodiversity levels necessary for human life along with 

deteriorating the basic needs to survive. This phenomenon is linked to the fears of ecological hazards directly impacting 

global development (Gore, Lute, Ratsimbazafy, & Rajaonson, 2016). The related challenges of food and water insecurity 

may also cause competition over the resources leading to future threats of offensive activism and ecological movements 

                                                      
1Corresponding author: ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7779-6807 

© 2022 by the authors. Hosting by ACSE. Peer review under responsibility of ACSE, USA.  

https://doi.org/10.46545/aijhass.v4i1.254 
 

To cite this article: Zahoor, M. (2022). ENVIRONMENTAL INSECURITY IN PAKISTAN: CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES. 

American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 4(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.46545/aijhass.v4i1.254 

https://doi.org/10.46545/aijhass.v4i1.254
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7779-6807


Zahoor, American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) (2022), 1-6 

  

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(Spadaro, 2020). In the view of ecological movements relevant to the seriousness of the environmental challenges, there is 

not much expressed about the contesting perceptions of Deep Green and Bright Green Environmentalism. These two schools 

of thought carry a debate where Deep Greens securitize the environmental concerns by highlighting the haunts of 

environmental threats such as endangered species and climate change patterns. On the other hand, Bright Greens focus more 

on positive solutions with innovations such as introducing green technologies, renewable energy setups, and recycling 

(Sessions, 2014). Such debates are causing hindrance in shaping the local and international governance policies. Also, 

recently, Covid-19 and the health crisis have greatly influenced green efforts. States and institutions have shifted their 

priorities toward economic and health sector recovery (Qadeer et al., 2022). 

Particularly, in the case of Pakistan, environmental insecurity and climate change have a more perilous effect than 

in any other country present in South Asia. The reason for this is the nature of the country’s economic landscape which is 

agrarian and forms not only 21% of the annual GDP but also contributes 43.7 percent to the employment rate (Abid, 

Scheffran, Schneider, & Elahi, 2019). The severity of climate risks for such a developing country multiplies due to poor 

management and the absence of timely warnings (Anjum et al., 2021). Thus, concurrent heat waves, the accelerated melting 

of glaciers, and alterations in rainfall patterns have stressed the water and food sector causing a decline in annual crop 

production (Khan, 2019). Further, uncontrolled population growth, massive urbanization, and brutal use of environmental 

assets such as rapid forest cutting are destabilizing the natural ecosystem putting pressure on air quality and weather patterns. 

(Khwaja & Khan, 2005). 

RESEARCH METHOD 

The research is a qualitative study which follows exploratory methods to find solutions and reach conclusion. The primary 

data was collected through personal interviews with environmental experts. Secondary data was collected from related 

publications such as articles and books authored by known research analysts. These include Pakistan’s State Department 

official documents available on the official websites and archives of the Ministry of Climate Change, handbook of National 

Climate Change Policy 2012 and two short case-study analysis. Furthermore, the research incorporates secondary online 

data from the World Meteorological Department and the European Environment Agency. Finally, the analytical framework 

is used to make better understanding of the current scenario, find gaps and provide suitable measure for the future studies. 

 

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 

The Copenhagen School has remained a successful approach in the arena of international relations. After the end of the Cold 

War, Barry Buzan laid the foundation for the most known traditionalist versus non-traditionalist view of security debate 

(Buzan, 1997). Buzan sees security as a holistic notion expanded to five principal areas. According to him military might 

and political superiority should not be the only concerns for states to survive. Opposite to the traditional conceptualization 

of risks, securitization must also be viewed through the lens of societal, economic, and environmental concerns (as cited in 

Stone, 2009). 

AIR POLLUTION IN PAKISTAN 

Major Causes of Industrial Waste, Traffic, and Cross-Border Pollution from India 

The World Health Organization (WHO), reveals that among all the countries, the air in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh 

contains the highest number of pollutants up to the levels of PM 2.5. In the case of Pakistan, the winters have seen an 

immense upsurge of toxicants in the air increasing the smog levels. As per the report by a well- known medical journal, The 

Lancet, it is evident that 22 percent of annual deaths in Pakistan are due to the extraordinary rise in air pollution, (Rehman,   

2018). Air pollution is the existence of harmful substances and chemical composites of organic or inorganic nature, which 

are otherwise not found in the components of air and so are responsible for poisonous effects to the living beings surrounded 

by it (Vallero, 2014). Though Pakistan’s Industry carries a small share in its economy as this country is mostly agrarian, it 

escalates the levels of air pollution to 40% (Sánchez, Enriquez, Afzal, Nakawaga, & Khan, 2014). From a case study 

analysis, the Sugar Mills in Pakistan’s Punjab region are the biggest contributors to air pollution. The study showcased that 

91 percent of the people living in the area know that their life is at risk due to harmful industrial waste fumes in the air. 

Around 83 percent of the respondents expressed that industrial smoke halts their daily life causing serious respiratory issues 

to them (Gull et al., 2013). The massive flow of traffic on the highways of Pakistan is the second biggest generator of air 

toxicants in Pakistan. The most common reason behind this is the dependence on gasoline for small cars and on diesel for 

heavy vehicles. Surplus release of emissions that carry hydrocarbons multiplies pollutant content. A study on the flow of 

heavy traffic on the major highways of Pakistan revealed that the heavy diesel engine vehicles moving on these highways 

generate a massive amount of nitrous oxides, ozone-depleting gas molecules, smog elements, and cancer-causing toxicants. 

Moreover, they are a cause of solid particulate suspension in the air as well. Another striking fact is the release of extra 

harmful emissions in the air by the traffic during the process of “stop and go” time of vehicles when they remain stranded 

in traffic jams while engine’s idle (Ali & Athar, 2008). In a recent report published by the New York Times, Pakistan’s 

higher authorities claimed a suspicion that India is to be blamed for its massive air pollution hazard. The issue was raised 

under the alarming situation of smog in Lahore, the second largest and most polluted city in Pakistan. Lahore shares the 

border with the Indian Territory and thus Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change claims the neighboring activities as a 

transnational cause following the news that Delhi is the most contaminated city in the world. The most probable reason 

could be the burning of crops by bordering Indian farmers causing the polluted air to travel into Pakistan triggering Lahore’s 

smog. However, this is seen as mere blame by the citizens of Lahore who consider ignorance of the political authorities as 

a major reason behind this challenge. Resultantly, the citizens have asked for more active and less verbal measures from the 

government (Habib & Masood, 2019). 

 

 



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Case Study of Lahore 
Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan and is currently suffering from high-level air pollution hazards. This fact gained 

attention after the 2017 publication of Lahore’s Air Quality Index. This AQI was generated by the informal efforts of the 

citizens and expressed that the air pollution levels in Lahore reach their extreme levels, especially in the winter when farmers 

close to the areas of Lahore do heavy combustion of wasted crops which converts directly into smog. Following the same 

trend, November 2019 came out to be the smoggiest month in Lahore compared to the same season in previous years 

(Tabinda et al., 2019).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Figure 1. Air Quality Index Values 

Source: IQAir, 2022 

 

Other factors contributing to air pollution in Lahore are emissions from vehicles, brick kiln combustion, and 

general waste from homes. As a result, Lahore also topped the list of the most polluted cities in the air quality report with 

PM 2.5 waste residue suspended in its air. Observing the highly unfavorable concerns on air pollution, a young entrepreneur 

developed a mechanism for checking air quality by starting the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative (Omer, 2018). This step was 

based on gathering the real-time air quality check for the citizens through the use of a digital application to ensure awareness 

and timely control measures.  

 

Impacts 

Pakistan has an agricultural landscape and air pollution causes maximum damage to its crops especially wheat production 

leading to food insecurity. Rice and wheat fields make the two most important staple crops for consumption in Pakistan. A 

study reveals that a heavy loss of around 42 percent in rice and winter wheat production in Pakistan is witnessed due to the 

harm caused by polluted air over the fields (Devrajani, Qureshi, Imran, & Nisa, 2020). Air pollution is harming the rainfall 

patterns too, which has a direct impact on crop harvesting seasons. This hazard has continued to bring health risks for the 

citizens of Pakistan most notably the declining life expectancy rate among children and increased cases of diseases like 

cancer, bronchitis and asthma (Shi, Bilal, Ho, & Omar, 2020). 

 

HEAT WAVES IN PAKISTAN 
According to a report by CNN, the menace of heat waves took the life of 65 people last year in Karachi. This happened 

because of the drastic rise in temperature during the month of May from 35 degrees Celsius to 44 degrees Celsius coupled 

with heat blow (Saifi & McKirdy, 2015). A heat wave refers to a span when the earth’s weather experiences an extremely 

hot temperature along with rising humidity levels (Robinson, 2001). The reason behind this horrendous heat blow was the 

dry year due to the imbalanced shift of the monsoon season. The strongest heat wave in Pakistan which reached an extreme 

temperature and grabbed global attention was the heat wave of 2015. This heat wave expanded over the sub-continent 

covering the Indian land as well. This heat wave spelled over April, May, and June and left approximately 2500 people in 

Pakistan and around 1100 in India dead (Masood, Majid, Sohail, Zia, & Raza, 2015).  

 
Figure 2. Heat Index and Impacts                             Figure 3. Map Showing 2017 Heat Wave 
Source: Zahid & Rasul, 2010                  Source: Khan, Shahid, Ismail, Ahmed, & Nawaz, 2019 

 

 



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The heat wave of 2017 started a month earlier in April with temperatures rising to 51 degrees Celsius and expanding 

over the southern parts of Pakistan. This was the first time in the history of the country that the April temperature went that 

high. The most affected cities by this heat wave were Larkana, Sibi, and Mohenjo Daro in the Sindh province, and Lahore 

in the province of Punjab. This heat wave was disastrous for the wheat and rice crops of Pakistan as well. The third heat 

wave of this scale was recorded in the summer of 2019.It expanded from May to June 2019 and hit the boundaries of India 

and Pakistan similar to the heat wave back in 2015. The hottest temperatures during this period reached the heights of 50-

52 degrees Celsius in the cities of Churu, Rajasthan and Bihar of India, and Larkana, Sibi, and Multan in Pakistan. Strikingly, 

this heat wave remained for 32 consecutive days, the longest recorded to date (Khan, Shahid, Ismail, Ahmed, & Nawaz, 

2019). 

 

Impacts 

The impact of the heat waves is more authentic if they are supported by the Heat Index, a scale calculating the temperature 

increase and rise in moisture in the layers of earth’s atmosphere (Delworth, Mahlman, & Knutson, 1999). In the case of 

Pakistan, the Heat Index displayed sensitivity levels to the various health conditions of the people living in the heat wave-

affected areas. The most common impacts recorded are heat stroke, heat fever, sunburn, nausea, and heat collapse leading 

to paralysis or even death (Rasul & Ahmad, 2012). 

 

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND ACTION FRAMEWORK IN PAKISTAN 

A Viewpoint of the Environmental Expert 

The National Climate Change Policy of Pakistan was prepared after the heavy flooding of 2011 and was subsequently 

published in 2012 by Ministry of Climate Change Pakistan. This was the most formidable step toward identification and 

policy measures on environmental protection in Pakistan. This policy proved as an indicator that Pakistan contributes 

minimally to the release of greenhouse gases and focuses considerably on the legislative framework and clean technology 

programs (Mumtaz, 2018). In a personal interview with one of the known environmentalists and activists of Pakistan, Dr. 

Ghulam Rasul, a great deal of information was collected on the different phases and progress of the environment sector in 

Pakistan. Quoting the latest information on environmental security perspective, he shared that Pakistan currently stands in 

seventh place as the most vulnerable country to be affected by climate change as it faces challenges like heatwaves, melting 

glaciers, air pollution, and smog. The history of policy response to environmental problems in the post-independence period 

can be divided into four phases-environmental neglect (1947-1957), period of ad-hocism (1958-1973), institutional and 

legislative policy making (1972-2000), and environmental monitoring (2000-till now) (G. Rasul, Personal Interview, 

January 18, 2021). The action framework accelerated with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan's speech at the UN 

Assembly session in 2019 where he brought immense global attention to global climate change (Qazi, 2019). The 

government has also shaped the programs such as the Billion Tree Tsunami and Clean Green Environment Program to 

handle the risks of extreme temperature rise and elevated air pollution (Hussain et al., 2020). 

 

ANALYSIS 

Pakistan is a developing country and so there is a contention between funds generation and allocation to the respective 

environmental sectors. There is a huge gap regarding information transparency among the various institutions bringing 

hurdles to working coherently for environmental protection. This leads to a lack of vision and proper clarity over the 

seriousness of the issue. The Pakistani government as well as local and international bodies working for environmental 

conservation are deficient in the capacity of creating short-term goals and rely more upon long-term policies. Even if a short-

term goal is made, there is a lack of time to check on it which later on becomes a delay excuse challenging the timely 

response mechanism. Also, during the time of a national calamity, all the local and international environmental bodies 

become active and announce several programs but at the time of no big disaster, the pace of such activities slows down, 

where funds are stopped and the action framework becomes dormant. To handle this situation, there is a need to have a 

persistent and multi-level approach by targeting the issues at a grass-root level. Further, individual-level capacity building 

can be a big step towards having timely and responsible solutions. 

 

CONCLUSION 

The recent environmental issues of air pollution and heat waves had the strongest impact to the country’s landscape and 

economy in comparison to the past, subsequently resulting in the highest level of harm. Pakistan’s industry sector, heavy 

traffic flow, and especially the stop and go traffic phenomenon have escalated the amount of particulate matter in the air 

causing a historical increase in smog levels. In addition, Pakistan has witnessed repeated heat blows since 2015 due to 

irregular monsoon patterns and aberrant urbanization. These heat waves have taken the lives of many and causing a huge 

economic loss. This research has revealed that despite the extreme seriousness of rapid environmental degradation, the 

authorities in Pakistan have expressed very limited concern making it a part of low politics. Although the announcement of 

policies like the Green Clean Program, National Conservation Strategy and The Billion Tree Tsunami have made a 

difference, the action mechanism still faces the institutional discord. The research includes the viewpoints of environmental 

experts according to whom Pakistan is suffering through a multifaceted environmental concern which requires a solution 

with a multi-layered approach involving policymakers, experts, academicians, and individuals through a community-driven 

approach. The research provides information about the lack of capacity building, management, planning, and technical 

expertise in finding possible solutions. These findings could set the stage for introducing new budget-friendly technological 

solutions to curb concerns of pollution and rising temperatures. 



Zahoor, American International Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4(1) (2022), 1-6 

  

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Author Contributions: Conceptualization, M.Z.; Data Curation, M.Z.; Methodology, M.Z.; Validation, M.Z.; Visualization, M.Z.; Formal Analysis, 
M.Z.; Investigation, M.Z.; Resources, M.Z.; Writing – Original Draft, M.Z.; Writing – Review & Editing, M.Z.; Supervision, M.Z.; Software, M.Z.; Project 

Administration, M.Z.; Funding Acquisition, M.Z. Authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. 

Institutional Review Board Statement: Ethical review and approval were waived for this study, due to that the research does not deal with vulnerable 
groups or sensitive issues. 

Funding: The authors received no direct funding for this research. 

Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. 
Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available 

due to restrictions. 

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

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