Preserving air quality termed regional task

Punjab government officials hope to significantly improve the smog situation in the province during the coming year by fulfilling the commitments made in the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference COP29 hosted by Azerbaijan.

Punjab Environment Departments officials who attended COP29 expressed satisfaction over highlighting the issue. The 29th annual Conference of the Parties (COP29) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) witnessed a strong presence from the province.

Participating for the first time and represented by the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department (EP&CCD), Punjab highlighted its commitments to climate resilience and combating the prevailing issue of smog. The delegation led by Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar and Environment Protection Agency Director General Imran Hamid Sheikh engaged in various discussions and negotiations. The team participated in the Blue and Green Zone discussions, interacting with international media, collaborating with global stakeholders and presenting solutions for regional climate challenges.

The Punjab delegation emphasised the shared regional responsibility for improving air quality, particularly focusing on smog and cross-border effect of crop residue burning.

Secretary Raja Jahangir shared that Punjab had introduced a legal framework and integrated strategies to tackle the issues related to climate change.

"The climate change policy, clean air policy and allocation of Rs150 billion for climate are clear evidence of Punjab's commitment towards a climate resilient province. Punjab is rebooting its economy by switching over to cleaner energy, converting its energy needs to solar power, ensuring a major transition towards greener Punjab," he said.

During discussions in the Green Zone session, DG Imran Sheikh highlighted Punjab's measures against air pollution, such as strict compliance with regulations, creating an enabling business environment, introducing super seeders to reduce stubble burning and promoting eco-friendly agricultural practices like transformation of 90 per cent of the brick kilns to reduce emissions, distribution of 18,000 e-bikes among students.

He added that Punjab government had established Business Facilitation Centres throughout the province to promote an integrated, seamless and paperless environment, reducing not only environmental impact but also the processing time. During a session on Blue Zone, he said the Punjab government was collaborating with the international community in its ambitious agenda.

The Punjab delegation, while participating in and hosting sessions at the conference, showcased the adoption of renewable energy, promotion of e-transportation and technology-driven farming solutions.