{"id":84193,"date":"2025-10-23T06:27:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T06:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/?p=84193"},"modified":"2025-10-24T06:29:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T06:29:07","slug":"wwf-pakistan-urges-shift-to-cleaner-fuels-stronger-emission-controls-as-air-pollution-crisis-deepens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/2025\/10\/23\/wwf-pakistan-urges-shift-to-cleaner-fuels-stronger-emission-controls-as-air-pollution-crisis-deepens\/","title":{"rendered":"WWF-Pakistan urges shift to cleaner fuels, stronger emission controls as air pollution crisis deepens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWF-Pakistan urges shift to cleaner fuels stronger emission controls as air pollution crisis deepens\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BnYfPufCdnU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-container td-post-template-default\">\n<div class=\"td-container-border\">\n<div class=\"td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"td-pb-span8 td-main-content\" role=\"main\">\n<div class=\"td-ss-main-content\">\n<article id=\"post-8068\" class=\"post-8068 post type-post status-publish format-video has-post-thumbnail hentry category-climate-change post_format-post-format-video\">\n<div class=\"td-post-sharing-top td-pb-padding-side\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"td-post-content td-pb-padding-side\">\n<div class=\"wpb_video_wrapper\"><\/div>\n<p>ISLAMABAD, Thursday, October 23, 2025 : Pakistan\u2019s urban centers are facing an escalating air pollution crisis that continues to endanger public health, with Lahore and Karachi ranking among the world\u2019s most polluted cities. WWF-Pakistan has warned that unless systemic reforms are implemented\u2014particularly targeting vehicular emissions and low-quality fuel use\u2014the country will continue to suffer from dangerously poor air quality.<\/p>\n<p>According to air quality data, Lahore and Karachi recorded alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) levels of 234 and 182 respectively on October 21, placing them in the \u201cvery unhealthy\u201d and \u201cunhealthy\u201d categories. These figures far exceed the World Health Organization (WHO)\u2019s recommended limits, signaling an urgent need for long-term action rather than short-term fixes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-84194\" src=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ff4b7d9f-79f2-447f-a85e-ecd3adb09efb.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"604\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ff4b7d9f-79f2-447f-a85e-ecd3adb09efb.jpg 604w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ff4b7d9f-79f2-447f-a85e-ecd3adb09efb-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ff4b7d9f-79f2-447f-a85e-ecd3adb09efb-282x420.jpg 282w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ff4b7d9f-79f2-447f-a85e-ecd3adb09efb-150x224.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ff4b7d9f-79f2-447f-a85e-ecd3adb09efb-300x447.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\" \/><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>WWF-PAKISTAN IDENTIFIED VEHICULAR EMISSIONS AS THE SINGLE LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO AIR POLLUTION IN MAJOR CITIES. THE ORGANIZATION EMPHASIZED THAT PAKISTAN\u2019S RELIANCE ON LOW-GRADE EURO II FUEL\u2014FAR BELOW THE INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED EURO V STANDARD\u2014AND THE WIDESPREAD USE OF POORLY MAINTAINED BUSES, TRUCKS, AND TRACTORS HAVE WORSENED THE SMOG CRISIS.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cCleaner fuel, stricter vehicle emission standards, and strong enforcement are the solutions,\u201d said Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of WWF-Pakistan. \u201cWe know what needs to be done. Without decisive action, temporary measures will continue to fall short, leaving millions of Pakistanis exposed to hazardous air.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>WWF called on the government to adopt Euro V-compliant fuels nationwide, introduce rigorous vehicle fitness testing, and extend regulatory oversight to agricultural machinery, which also contributes significantly to particulate emissions.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond vehicle emissions, WWF highlighted other major pollution sources, including small-scale industries, brick kilns, furnaces burning substandard fuel, and open waste burning, despite official bans. Seasonal crop residue fires remain a recurring problem as farmers clear land for wheat cultivation, further aggravating smog levels across Punjab and Sindh.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past year, the Punjab government has introduced several positive measures, including stricter brick kiln regulation, the distribution of \u201chappy seeders\u201d to farmers, and inspection of vehicles under the Punjab Clean Air Program. However, WWF cautioned that smog guns\u2014increasingly deployed in urban centers\u2014offer only localized and short-lived relief, consuming large quantities of water and failing to address the underlying causes of pollution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese resource-intensive interventions are not sustainable substitutes for systemic reforms,\u201d WWF noted, urging authorities to focus on long-term, enforceable strategies such as emission reduction, renewable energy promotion, and improved public transportation systems.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, WWF-Pakistan released a comprehensive ten-year air quality analysis of Lahore, which proposed actionable policy recommendations including installation of exhaust particulate filters on heavy-duty diesel vehicles and strict enforcement of emission standards. The findings underscored the urgent need for a national clean air strategy backed by scientific data and institutional accountability.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1970, WWF-Pakistan is one of the country\u2019s leading environmental organizations working to conserve biodiversity, combat climate change, and promote sustainable resource management. Operating through 26 offices with nearly 250 professionals, the organization continues to play a pivotal role in advocating for cleaner air and a healthier environment for all Pakistanis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD, Thursday, October 23, 2025 : Pakistan\u2019s urban centers are facing an escalating air pollution crisis that continues to endanger public health, with Lahore and Karachi ranking among the world\u2019s most polluted cities. WWF-Pakistan has warned that unless systemic reforms are implemented\u2014particularly targeting vehicular emissions and low-quality fuel use\u2014the country will continue to suffer from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","category-climate","post_format-post-format-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84193"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84195,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84193\/revisions\/84195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}