Environment paradox

Pakistan has made a remarkable improvement in the biennial Environmental Performance Index, rising 22 spots since coming in third from the bottom in the 2024 rankings. But despite the improvement, the report - a collaboration between the World Economic Forum, Yale University and Columbia University - says our score is still below the South Asian regional average, and our performance on air quality is simply appalling.

Pakistan ranked 157th out of 177 countries ranked, with a score of 29.03, compared to the South Asian average of 31.81. Pakistan also did well on the forest Indicator, ranking 14th in the world. But we ranked near the bottom for environmental health, 175th, with an air quality score of 7.54. The low ranking is not surprising. Lahore's annual average PM2.5 concentration remains 22 times higher than WHO guidelines and cuts life expectancy by an average of seven years. Still, it is embarrassing considering the frequency with which the government and NGOs highlight Pakistan's small climate change footprint relative to the impacts we bear. Being the worst at something requires substantial malfeasance on our own part. And it is not just air. Pakistan also ranks low in heavy metal exposure, and is just 140th in the sanitation and drinking water score.

While the government does deserve some credit for moving the country in the right direction, it must not mistake a modest improvement for a job well done. Environmental issues take decades to address, and losing focus for even a little while can be the difference between success and failure. And though environmental initiatives are indeed expensive, it has also been estimated that the economy loses about one per cent every year due to climate change-related events. If we invested even a fraction of that in climate change mitigation and environmental uplift, the benefits would be immeasurable.