Pakistan: Civil society, trade union activists rally for clean air in Lahore

Lahore [Pakistan], December 16 (ANI): On Sunday, hundreds of civil society activists and trade union members took to the streets in Lahore to demand climate justice and cleaner air, Dawn reported.
The protest, organized by the Pakistan Kisan Rabita Committee (PKRC) and Labour Education Foundation (LEF), started at the Lahore Press Club and moved to Aiwan-i-Iqbal on Egerton Road. Participants carried banners and placards, highlighting the urgent need for job security for workers affected by climate change.
Farooq Tariq, the secretary-general of PKRC, stated that the ongoing crisis, worsened by climate change, is disproportionately affecting communities who have contributed least to the environmental destruction.
"While the people suffer due to the worst impacts of a crisis they did not create, wealthy nations responsible for the climate catastrophe continue to evade responsibility," he said. He further emphasized the need for reparations for flood-affected communities, the right to clean air, and climate justice for all.
The 2022 floods were one of the worst climate-related disasters in Pakistan's history, affecting nearly 33 million people, displacing millions, and causing over 1,700 deaths. Tariq pointed out that Pakistan's reliance on fossil fuels for energy has compounded the nation's vulnerability to climate change, with over 60 percent of its electricity coming from coal, oil, and gas, reported Dawn.
"This dependency not only worsens climate impacts like heatwaves and floods, but also burdens the economy through rising fuel import bills," said Khalid Mahmood from LEF.
Mahmood advocated for a transition to renewable energy, highlighting that it could not only reduce emissions but also create sustainable jobs for the future.
"A just transition toward renewable energy is essential, not only to curb emissions but to create sustainable jobs and protect communities on the front line of the climate crisis," he added.
Baba Jan, the president of the Awami Workers Party (AWP) in Gilgit-Baltistan, spoke about the immediate impacts of climate change on local communities, Dawn reported.
"The climate crisis is not a distant threat -- it is already reshaping lives in regions like Gilgit-Baltistan, where glaciers are melting at an alarming rate," he explained. He stressed that corporate interests continue to harm the environment through reckless resource extraction, ignoring the destructive consequences on local populations. (ANI)