47. Pakistan Economic Survey 2011-12 - Consultancy Services in ...

Chapter 16EnvironmentPakistan continued to face challenges in achievingenvironmentally sound development. This hasbecome increasingly difficult in the backdrop ofthe consecutive floods and rains across the countryas well as other exogenous and endogenousfactors.The quality of the natural environment is not onlyan extremely important issue from the point ofview of individual survival but it will also emergeas one of the principal human security issues inPakistan. The environmental challenges includeclimate change impacts, loss of biologicaldiversity, deforestation and degradation of air andwater quality. The fast growing population poses asignificant challenge for Pakistan. The existingenvironment management capacity cannot sustainsuch a large population with a good quality of life.This chapter discusses the various environmentrelated issues and challenges faced by Pakistan,and the initiatives taken by the government toaddress and combat those challenges. The firstsection provides a review of government policiesand programs intended to put a focus onenvironmental issues in Pakistan and activelycombat the adverse impacts of climate change. Thesecond section describes the state of theenvironment in Pakistan, and identifies keychallenges and shortcomings in terms of air andwater pollution and forestlands. Mangroveecosystems and coastal resources are discussednext, followed by an overview of the 2011 floodsand institutional responses to the disaster. The finalsection concludes the chapter.Climate Change: The Evolution of Policies andProgrammesAs a result of concerted efforts of the government,the word “environment” has been graduallyachieving a greater and wider audience andacceptance in the country. Awareness aboutenvironmental issues has been rising andinstitutions have been built to address these issues.Civil society institutions working onenvironmental issues are strengthening and theirinfluence has increased. The government,therefore, has effectively engaged to arrest theprocesses of environmental degradation throughvarious programmes during the last three years.Some highlights of the government’s efforts tocombat the adverse effects of climate change arelisted below. The National Climate Change Policy 2011 hasbeen developed which provides a frameworkfor addressing the issues that Pakistan face orwill face in future due to the changing climate. With the devolution of Ministry ofEnvironment, Provinces now have morepowers in policy formulation andimplementation.Improvements in weather forecasting whichhelps in sound and timely decision making inagricultural practices and better managementof natural resources and disaster response.The National Marine Disaster contingencyplan was implemented by the MaritimeSecurity Agency (MSA) by carrying outBarracuda-I and Barracuda-II exercises.EURO - II standards for vehicle emissionswere adopted for new manufacturing vehicles235