Call for climate-resilient housing models

Senator Sherry Rehman, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, has urged the country to adopt a decisive national shift towards sustainable, circular and climate-resilient construction.

She delivered the call while inaugurating the second Pakistan Sustainability Summit and Awards in Islamabad on Wednesday. The conference, themed "Sustainable Housing for Economic Resilience and Climate-Smart Living", was organised by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) as part of its National Climate Action Advocacy Programme.

Senator Rehman emphasised that sustainable construction must remain the Summit's principal focus, noting that Pakistan stands at a pivotal moment in both its climate vulnerability and rapid urbanisation.

Although Green Building Codes already exist, she lamented the negligible rate of implementation. Citing the Climate Risk Index 2025, she stated that Pakistan remains the most climate-impacted country globally.

She added that the industrial sector contributes 38 per cent of energy-related CO₂ emissions, while the cement industry alone produces 49 per cent of national emissions—underscoring the urgent need to reform construction practices.

Highlighting Pakistan's swift urban expansion, she noted that 39 per cent of the population is classified as urban, but when accounting for population density, this rises to 88 per cent, with peri-urban regions comprising nearly 42 per cent of the country. These expanding zones, she said, increasingly resemble towns yet lack essential waste-management systems.

Referring to the devastating floods of 2022 and again in 2025, Senator Rehman criticised the persistent approval of unsafe construction in hazardous locations, warning that Pakistan can no longer afford the dangerous trend of building on floodplains.

She called for circular construction models incorporating reduction, reuse and recycling principles, noting that such approaches could save Pakistan up to $2 billion annually and significantly reduce CO₂ emissions.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Syed Munir Ahmed said the Summit seeks to unite policymakers, builders, architects, academics and investors at a time when economic pressures, rapid urbanisation and climate risks converge, with a national housing shortfall exceeding 400,000 units.

ICCI President Sardar Tahir Mahmood stressed the need for transparent public-private partnerships, modern regulatory frameworks and climate-responsive design standards.

PIDCL Chief Executive Waseem Hayat Bajwa reaffirmed the government's commitment to climate-resilient and energy-efficient housing.

UN-Habitat Deputy Programme Manager Hamid Mumtaz Khan underscored the urgency of climate-smart housing, noting more than 4.5 million homes damaged since 2005 and calling for the swift adoption of the National Housing Policy 2025 and nature-based solutions.