Abstract
Climate change is intensifying smog, turning into seasonal hazard in India and Pakistan. Vehicle emissions, urban heat islands, crop residues burning and industrial discharges plays major role in this mixture, which mostly consists of PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen oxides and ground level ozone by raising temperature, changing wind patterns, prolonging dry spells. Rising temperature alters the wind patterns while prolonged dry spells caused by climate change can accelerate smog formation by accelerating chemical reactions and pollutant retention. The result of this phenomenon is worse with huge impact on human health, economy and agriculture. Cardiovascular, respiratory and mental health issues are prevalent on the other hand reduced agricultural production results in financial loss. Addressing these crises requires comprehensive approach, including sustainable agriculture, afforestation, use of cleaner energy sources, and international collaboraitons. Along with this, improving air quality monitoring system, raising public awareness, implementation of effective policies are component of solution. A mutual response of Indo-Pak is essential to mitigate effects of climate change and smog, ensuring better air quality and sustainability in region.
References
Hussain M, Butt AR, Uzma F, Ahmed R, Irshad S, Rehman A, Yousaf B. A comprehensive review of climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation on environmental and natural calamities in Pakistan. Environmental monitoring and assessment. 2020 Jan;192:1-20. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7956-4
Shah A, Naveed R, Khalid I, Khan A. A review on consequences of climate change in Pakistan. International Journal of Engineering Research Updates. 2021;1(01):026-42. DOI: 10.53430/ijeru.2021.1.1.0054
Valavanidis A. Half of the Global Population Lives in MegaCities.
Edo GI, Itoje-akpokiniovo LO, Obasohan P, Ikpekoro VO, Samuel PO, Jikah AN, Nosu LC, Ekokotu HA, Ugbune U, Oghroro EE, Emakpor OL. Impact of environmental pollution from human activities on water, air quality and climate change. Ecological Frontiers. 2024 Jun 12. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecofro.2024.02.014
Majeed R, Anjum MS, Imad-ud-din M, Malik S, Anwar MN, Anwar B, Khokhar MF. Solving the mysteries of Lahore smog: the fifth season in the country. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. 2024 Jan 5;5:1314426. DOI: 10.3389/frsc.2023.1314426
Santos R, Russo A, Gouveia CM. Co-occurrence of marine and atmospheric heatwaves with drought conditions and fire activity in the Mediterranean region. Scientific Reports. 2024 Aug 20;14(1):19233. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-69691-y
Odubo TC, Kosoe EA. Sources of air pollutants: impacts and solutions. InAir Pollutants in the Context of One Health: Fundamentals, Sources, and Impacts 2024 Sep 10 (pp. 75-121). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: 10.1007/698_2024_1127
Mushtaq A, Mahmood S. Analyzing the Impact of Smog on Human Health in District Lahore, Pakistan. Int. J. Innov. Sci. Technol. 2024;6(6):565-76.
Lakra K, Avishek K. Influence of meteorological variables and air pollutants on fog/smog formation in seven major cities of Indo-Gangetic Plain. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2024 Jun;196(6):533. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12662-7
Mathew N, Somanathan A, Tirpude A, Arfin T. The impact of short-lived climate pollutants on the human health. Environmental Pollution and Management. 2024 Oct 1;1:1-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.epm.2024.04.001
Bargah RK. Health and Environmental Effects of Air Pollution: An Indian Scenario. Environment and Sustainable Development Perspectives and Issues. 2024 Jul 13:1.
ESCAP U. City action plans and technology adoption strategies in Gurugram, India. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12870/7450
Khalid N, Arshad I, Rafiq-uz-Zaman M. Enhancing Environmental Education to Promote Pre-Emptive Smog Mitigation Strategies in Urban Areas of South Punjab: An Overview. Journal of Asian Development Studies. 2024 Sep 1;13(3):956-64. DOI: 10.62345/jads.2024.13.3.78
Khan AA, Kumar P, Gulia S, Khare M. A critical review of managing air pollution through airshed approach. Sustainable Horizons. 2024 Mar 1;9:100090. DOI: 10.1016/j.horiz.2024.100090
Noori FJ. Dust Storms Monitoring in Iraq using The Low Resolution Satellite Images (Doctoral dissertation, University of Baghdad).
Ogwu MC, Lori T, Aliu OO, Febnteh EB, Izah SC, Abdelkhalek ST. Agricultural Air Pollution: Impacts, Sources, and Mitigation Strategies. InAir Pollutants in the Context of One Health: Fundamentals, Sources, and Impacts 2024 Sep 13 (pp. 395-423). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: 10.1007/698_2024_1137
Arshad K, Hussain N, Ashraf MH, Saleem MZ. Air pollution and climate change as grand challenges to sustainability. Science of The Total Environment. 2024 Apr 10:172370. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172370
Churilov LP, Gurevich VS, Sadovnikov PS, Soprun LA, Stroev YI. Seasonality of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Role of Natural and Anthropogenic Factors. InEnvironmental Factors in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular Diseases 2024 Aug 2 (pp. 95-132). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-62806-1_3
Butler CD, Hanigan IC. Air Pollution, Fires, Climate Change and Health. InClimate Change and Global Health: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Effects 2024 Jul 19 (pp. 242-259). GB: CABI.
Syed OT. A tale of the receding Himalayan glaciers: China’s and India’s response against Black Carbon. Asia Pacific Journal of Environmental Law. 2024 Jun 28;27(1):36-63. DOI: 10.4337/apjel.2024.01.02
Neelam N, Rathee RK, Mishra SK. Unraveling the nexus between crop residue burning and air quality in Haryana state, India. Paddy and Water Environment. 2024 Sep 30:1-8. DOI: 10.1007/s10333-024-01002-7
Sawyer WE, Aigberua AO, Nwodo MU, Akram M. Overview of Air Pollutants and Their One Health Effects. InAir Pollutants in the Context of One Health: Fundamentals, Sources, and Impacts 2024 Sep 20 (pp. 3-30). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.. DOI: 10.1007/698_2024_1125
Sarkar PP, Sen MK, Kabir G, Hossain NU. Exploring evolutionary patterns in the teleconnections between Indian summer monsoon rainfall and Indian Ocean dipole over decades. Climate Dynamics. 2024 May;62(5):4041-61. DOI: 10.1007/s00382-024-07116-2
Awez J, Khan T, Ali M. Assessing Air Pollution Crisis in South Asia: The Health, Economic, and Environmental Implications through Case Studies of Lahore, Delhi, and Dhaka. Pakistan Languages and Humanities Review. 2024 Jun 25;8(2):224-35. DOI: 10.47205/plhr.2024(8-II-S)22
Ozdemir C, Kucuksezer UC, Ogulur I, Pat Y, Yazici D, Ardicli S, Akdis M, Nadeau K, Akdis CA. Lifestyle Changes and Industrialization in the Development of Allergic Diseases. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports. 2024 Jun 17:1-5. DOI: 10.1007/s11882-024-01149-7
Saleem A, Awan T, Akhtar MF. A comprehensive review on endocrine toxicity of gaseous components and particulate matter in smog. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2024 Jan 30;15:1294205. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1294205
Garg R, Piplani M, Singh Y, Bhateja P, Rana R. An overview of integrated risk factors with prevention and prevalence of asthma at the global level. Current Traditional Medicine. 2024 Aug 1;10(4):71-81. DOI: 10.2174/2215083810666230525153908
Awez J, Khan T, Ali M. Assessing Air Pollution Crisis in South Asia: The Health, Economic, and Environmental Implications through Case Studies of Lahore, Delhi, and Dhaka. Pakistan Languages and Humanities Review. 2024 Jun 25;8(2):224-35. DOI: 10.47205/plhr.2024(8-II-S)22
Nasar-u-Minallah M, Jabbar M, Zia S, Perveen N. Assessing and anticipating environmental challenges in Lahore, Pakistan: future implications of air pollution on sustainable development and environmental governance. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2024 Sep;196(9):865. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12925-3
Kumar B, Verma VK, Kumar S. Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in India: geographical distribution, sources and associated health risk—a review. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 2024 Jun;46(6):186. DOI: 10.1007/s10653-024-01969-6
Bilal M, Hassan M, Tahir DB, Iqbal MS, Shahid I. Understanding the role of atmospheric circulations and dispersion of air pollution associated with extreme smog events over South Asian megacity. Environmental monitoring and assessment. 2022 Feb;194:1-7. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09674-y
Jabeen, F., Ali, Z., & Maharjan, A. (2021). Assessing health impacts of winter smog in Lahore for exposed occupational groups. Atmosphere, 12(11), 1532. DOI: 10.3390/atmos12111532
Nasir A, Aslam RA, Ali F, Nasir A. Air Pollution from Industrial Emissions and Its Control in Pakistan: Current Situation, Challenges, and Way Forward. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.1004052
Bajwa AU, Sheikh HA. Contribution of road transport to Pakistan’s air pollution in the urban environment. Air. 2023 Nov 2;1(4):237-57. DOI: 10.3390/air1040018
Abas N, Saleem MS, Kalair UJ, Haider A. Global Warming and Air Pollution Driven Energy Transition in South Asia. InInternational Green Energy Conference 2023 Jul 10 (pp. 491-505). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-48902-0_33
Razzaq A, Zafar MM, Zahra LT, Qadir F, Qiao F, Jiang X. Smog: Lahore needs global attention to fix it. Environmental Challenges. 2024 Aug 27:100999. DOI: 10.1016/j.envc.2024.100999
Ali F, Shah SI, Shafqat R, Abbas MA, Shah M. Assessing the Effectiveness of Punjab Traffic and Motorway Police's Anti-Smoke Campaign on Reducing Smog Levels in Punjab (Pakistan). Journal of Asian Development Studies. 2024 Sep 1;13(3):1618-26. DOI: 10.62345/jads.2024.13.3.130
Siddqiue MU, Jamil M, Arshad A. Digital Solutions and Technological Innovations Driving Public Awareness and Community Initiatives for Smog Reduction in Lahore: A Descriptive Overview. Pakistan Social Sciences Review. 2023 Nov 22;7(4):425-38. DOI: 10.35484/pssr.2023(7-IV)39
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Manahil Tahir, Sadia Murtaza, Muhammad Nadeem, Aisha A. Waris, Muhammad Imran Ashraf, Haq Nawaz, Muhammad Ashar Ayub