Smog knows no Boundaries – Can India and Pakistan Cooperate on Climate Change?

In Blog
March 3, 2021
Abdul Aziz
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Pakistan and India share some of the most polluted cities in the world between them, it is time for the two south Asian nations to cooperate on climate change as the future of 1.5 billion people is at stake. It may be interesting to note here that in 2017 alone, 128,000 Pakistanis and 1.2 million

Pakistan and India share some of the most polluted cities in the world between them, it is time for the two south Asian nations to cooperate on climate change as the future of 1.5 billion people is at stake. It may be interesting to note here that in 2017 alone, 128,000 Pakistanis and 1.2 million Indians died from air pollution, as per the report of State of Global Air 2019. The issue of smog continuously haunts big cities like Lahore and Delhi and continuously ranks them as some of the worst cities in the world for clean air.

Smog is a mixture of smoke and fog that is at its peak in the winter season in the subcontinent. Smog contains what are called particular matter (PM), which are a mixture of liquid and solid droplets of dust, smoke and soot. PM can be of two kinds, PM 10 which is easily inhalable and PM 2.5, which can severely damage lungs, lead to premature death It is also responsible for cancer, aggravated asthma, heart attacks and It is especially fatal for older people and children.

While Indian and Pakistani media have blamed each other’s farmers for burning crops as the main reason of smog, it is vehicular pollution, industrial pollution, kilns bricks that are major contributors for the severe drop in air quality. According to a report of Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) of the United Nations in which they measured the emissions of various sector held that 80 percent of the pollution was related to industry, power and transport sector, while agriculture was responsible for 20 percent of the smog in Pakistan.

The threat of climate change is common for India and Pakistan and unlike transnational challenges like security and trade climate change cannot be defeated by taking unilateral actions. However, Pakistan and India have both formulated domestic policies to tackle climate change and more specifically the issue of air quality. The Government of Pakistan reinstated the climate change ministry in 2015 and passed the Climate Change Act to reduce carbon emission. India expanded its ministry of environment to include climate change and passed India’s National Action on Climate Change.

Pakistan Government has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese and Sweden companies to bring in electric busses to reduce carbon emission. While these unilateral steps are welcome, in order to sufficiently mitigate the impacts of climate change which is a common problem, there is a dire need for synchronized action between the two countries. Pakistan and India both recognize the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, which is a principle that was at the core of the UN’s framework in the convention on climate change. Pakistan and India are also both signatories to the 1997 Kyto agreement and Paris agreement in 2016.

A bilateral climate agreement between Pakistan and India can based on a shared goal of moving towards greener and low carbon economies. This could collectively be achieved by sharing climate data and resources, fining heavy industrial and automobile polluters who rely on fossil fuel and create strong incentives for climate friendly innovation. The government of both countries can subsidize green technology in the form of solar and wind power and reward industries who innovate. A collective action on climate change will result in a strong regulatory system in South Asia which will help in reducing carbon emissions.

Pakistan and India can become leaders in the fight against climate change in the global south, a cooperation on the climate front may also help improve relations between the two countries and some progress may also be made on much tougher bilateral issues such as Kashmir and terrorism. Pakistan and India have cooperated in the past, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) which came into effect in 1960 is a testament to cooperation between the two countries. The Indus Water Treaty has survived several wars and numerous hostilities between the two countries and it sets precedence for future cooperation on environmental issues.

Outside of the Indus Water Treaty, another example of environmental cooperation between two hostile countries is between China and Japan. A delegation from japans visited china in 1977 opening the door for cooperation on environmental issues which also greatly improved the relationship between two countries leading to projects like Sino Japanese friendship center for environmental protection and multiple agreement to resolve environmental degradation.

Pakistan and India in order to sustain a bilateral climate agreement could create a climate fund as suggested by experts. The climate fund could have voluntary donations. Pakistan and India could also approach international institutions like the World Bank for funds. These funds could in turn be used to green light researches on climate change that can find newer ways to reduce carbon footprint in South Asia. Both countries can form data centers with the help of the United Nations Environment Program.

The bilateral agreement can be flexible in nature which has room to update the agreement in regards to any new climate development. Pakistan and India have recently recommitted to uphold the 2003 agreement at the LOC. It is important for both countries to take advantage of this momentum and cooperate on climate change as the advantages of it far outweigh any possible disadvantage if there were any.

According to a report from the University of Chicago by 2100, more than 1.5 million people could be dying in India every year due to climate change. The situation in Pakistan is no better, there are 350 industrial units in Lahore alone that are polluting the air. It is time that Pakistan and India collaborate on climate change and create green economies that are sustainable and low on carbon emission. Any cooperation between two nations will not only reduce air pollution and protect food security in the region, it will also change the entire future of the subcontinent forever.