LAHORE, Oct 20: Air pollution is a critical environmental issue for the major cities of Pakistan and is causing severe health impacts.

These views were stated by speakers at a seminar on “Addressing Climate Change through Better Air Quality Management,” organised by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) here on Monday.

EPA-Pakistan Director Mr Ziaul Islam emphasised that climate change and Air Quality Management (AQM) were global challenges and Pakistan was both a recipient and a contributor.

Key issues highlighted at the event included vehicle pollution, garbage burning, industrial emissions, agriculture waste burning, forest fires, indoor air pollution and trans-boundary air quality.

Ahmad Saeed, Principal Expert, Global Change, IUCN Pakistan, stressed the need for addressing air pollution holistically, rather than ‘looking at the end-of-the-pipe treatment’.

He said climate change needed to be addressed through AQM as these two were interrelated. He also highlighted the need to prepare proper policy framework at the federal and provincial levels, to address air quality related issues effectively.—Staff Reporter