n Pakistan, November is synonymous with two things: talk around COP and smog. At COP29, recently concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan, policy enthusiasts from across the planet gathered for the two-week climate conference to discuss all things climate change. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, millions were (and, still are) struggling to breathe. This raises the question: where exactly did the South Asian air quality crisis fit into COP29 discussions, if at all? Shouldn’t deteriorating air quality be considered a climate change issue?

Nearly two billion people live in South Asia. The health, social and environmental implications of its deteriorating air quality are profound and well-documented. Recognising and addressing air quality within global climate governance frameworks should be a pressing priority not just for Pakistan but for the entire region.

At the most basic level, we must realise that air pollution and climate change are not isolated issues. A study undertaken by The Royal Society in 2021 pointed out that pollutants such as methane, black carbon and ground-level ozone are not only harmful to human health but are also potent climate forcers. Methane, for instance, has a global warming potential greater than that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and is responsible for around a third of current global warming. It also leads to the formation of ground-level ozone, which exacerbates smog, particularly in urban areas like Lahore.

Black carbon, on the other hand, is a short-lived pollutant. However, it is another critical air quality threat with significant implications. It is one of the components of fine particulate matter PM2.5 and absorbs sunlight, which directly warms the atmosphere. This warming effect creates a dangerous feedback loop that worsens climate impacts. As The Royal Society report stresses, addressing pollutants like black carbon and methane could yield fast-acting climate and health benefits. This approach could be particularly useful in smog-prone regions like South Asia. Despite these connections, air pollution has often been a secondary focus in COP discussions.

COP discussions have historically focused on long-term CO₂ emission reduction, with limited attention to short-lived pollutants like black carbon and methane. The Paris Agreement set ambitious targets for limiting global warming but did not include specific air quality targets. Only recently, at COP26 in Glasgow, did methane gain more substantial focus with the launch of the Global Methane Pledge. This pledge aims for a 30 percent reduction in methane emissions by 2030 and was a step forward. The delayed entry of methane in COP primary discussions reflects air pollution’s historically limited integration in climate policy frameworks.

Efforts were made by the Pakistani delegation at COP26 to raise the issue of deteriorating air quality with India as a regional, transboundary issue. However, recent climate-induced catastrophes reshaped the government’s priorities. In the lead-up to COP27, the devastating floods of 2022 diverted national focus towards urgent relief and recovery needs, shifting Pakistan’s lobbying efforts at international forums.

Consequently, Pakistan’s primary agendas at COP27 and COP28 centred on the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund and ensuring a greater flow of climate finance to bolster resilience against future climate impacts. This strategy saw some success, with increased financial support from organisations like the Green Climate Fund that aimed at helping Pakistan adapt to climate change in areas such as floodwater management and agriculture. However, as air quality crisis continues to worsen, air pollution and smog must take precedence. With these issues now among the biggest threats to public health, Pakistan’s delegation at COP29 had an opportunity to emphasise air quality as a priority within the broader climate framework. This focus should now translate into dedicated resources and strategies to address both immediate public health needs and long-term environmental goals.

Building regional consensus

There seems to have been some conversation on the South Asian air quality crisis at COP29. At an event hosted by the government of Bhutan and ICIMOD of the Hindukush Karakoram and Himalayan region’s environment ministers, air pollution was declared a shared problem of the region necessitating transboundary collaboration to mitigate the issue.

There is evidence of regional level coordination and action on air pollution having a positive impact and reduction in emissions. The Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution in Europe and North America provides a successful model of regional cooperation in reducing air pollution. South Asia lacks a comparable, binding regional agreement – the previous effort, the Malè Declaration, was unsuccessful due to political tensions and lack of resources.

For Pakistan, this dialogue at COP29 is a starting point and underscores the importance of diplomacy in addressing shared environmental challenges and opportunity to lead this regional dialogue and collaboration. Some policy prescriptions can be made in this regard.

The World Health Organisation, in the run-up to COP29, published guidelines on integrating health into countries’ NDCs. Among these, a crucial recommendation was for countries to set specific air pollution reduction targets, ensuring that climate strategies contribute directly to cleaner air and better health outcomes. NDCs are intended to be dynamic, evolving documents that reflect each country’s changing climate priorities and responses to new data and scientific insights. By updating its NDCs to include air quality goals, Pakistan can create a more comprehensive climate strategy that addresses both long-term warming and immediate pollution impacts.

A commitment to air quality targets in its NDC will underscore Pakistan’s willingness to addressing the health impacts of air pollution, giving it greater leverage to advocate for cooperative action and increased finance for addressing trans-boundary air pollution issues. This evolution of Pakistan’s NDCs could also serve as a model for neighbouring countries to adopt similar measures, enabling a collective commitment within South Asia to tackle pollution and mitigate its impacts.

At the same time, there is a need to bring in greater climate finance into the country to enhance its capacity and resilience against climate change. Historically, climate finance, specifically for climate mitigation purposes, has focused on greenhouse gas reduction projects and shift towards renewable energy projects. More recently, in Pakistan’s case, climate finance is being routed towards flood and drought mitigation. All these efforts are essential, but it is also time now to direct attention towards pollutants like black carbon and methane. Allocating climate finance specifically for air quality initiatives can help address this gap, channelling resources into projects that directly improve air quality while also contributing to climate goals.

The discussion at COP29 outlined a clear path forward, greater emphasis on cryosphere risk monitoring, innovative financing solutions and the mobilisation of international support through mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund and Global Environment Facility. Investments in pollution control technologies, such as Happy Seeders and zigzag technology for brick kilns are essential to reducing the particulate matter that contributes to smog. By channelling greater climate finance for these purposes, the government can facilitate farmers and owners of brick kilns to not resort to crop burning or shutting down operations.

The air quality crisis is not an isolated environmental issue but a component of the broader climate challenge. Millions in South Asia are struggling with the health impacts of smog and COP29 has presented an opportunity for greater regional collaboration. It also highlights that addressing air quality as a priority within the COP framework is both an environmental and public health imperative.

Actively advocating these priorities could yield immediate and lasting benefits for Pakistan.

The writer is a Commonwealth scholar at the University of Bristol