Climate Change Implications of Smog in Pakistan: Amplifying Factors and Health Burden of PM2.5 Exposure

Abstract

Air pollution and climate change together represent a severe threat to the environment and public health in Pakistan. To clarify this complex interaction, this narrative and integrative review reviews all relevant information from national datasets, international reports, and the most recent climate-related health literature. The results indicate that various climate factors, such as rising temperature anomalies, reshuffling of the monsoon, and more frequent temperature inversions, are not only contributing to the intensification and persistence of smog events in the Indus Basin, but also that the exposure to PM2.5, the main pollutant in this smog, can have serious adverse implications for health: more recent evidence suggests that airborne particulate matter is responsible for a significant fraction of urban adult deaths. The assessment identifies growing risks of metabolic disorders, cardiopulmonary illnesses, and adverse reproductive outcomes associated with cumulative exposure to PM2.5, which is an increased concern when socio-economic and demographic vulnerabilities are taken into consideration. There still exists a substantial gap between science and policy, even in situations of clear and sometimes imminent threats. The assessment noted an urgent need for a framework for integrated mitigation to address both threats simultaneously, whether through the acceptance of Pakistan's clean air commitments and National Climate Change Policy, technological innovation, and/or nature-based solutions, and/or through strong regional cooperation.