Key Points
A smog-choked province in eastern Pakistan has issued a rare plea for cross-border collaboration with India, as major cities in both countries endure severe air pollution that risks the health of millions.. ..
Officials in Punjab, Pakistans most populous province of 127 million people, have drafted a letter to the Indian government to open a dialogue on the issue, Punjabi Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Raja Jahangir Anwar said on Monday.. ..
We need climate diplomacy, as a regional and global issue, Anwar told CNN, just days after Punjabs megacity of Lahore, roughly 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the Indian border, saw its highest-ever levels of air pollution.. ..
We are not blaming anyone, its a natural phenomenon.. . Pollution in northern India and eastern Pakistan ramps up each winter, when an ominous yellow haze blankets the skies due to a combination of farmers burning agricultural waste, coal-fired power plants, traffic and windless days.. . India and Pakistan have for decades navigated fraught and at times hostile relations, but as the issue of toxic air worsens, the neighbors are being forced to confront their shared responsibility and fate when it comes to the climate.. . Lahore, home to more than 14 million people, saw its air quality index surpass a record 1,900 in one part of the city on Saturday, according to IQAir, which tracks global air quality..
In India, air quality in Delhi which frequently trades places with Lahore as the most polluted city in the world hit hazardous air quality levels above 500 Saturday and Sunday, partly due to people disregarding a local fireworks ban as they celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights..
