Critical Review and Comparative Analysis of the Government of Punjab’s ‘Policy on Controlling Smog, 2017’ with Counterpart Strategies in London, Beijing and Los Angeles

Lahore, the capital of Punjab, Pakistan, has experienced worsening episodes of smog since the early 2000s. Poor air quality reduces the life expectancy of its population by roughly seven years and results in 128,000 premature annual deaths. According to various emissions inventories, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) frequently exceed World Health Organization (WHO) standards, more than other air pollutants in the city. In 2017, the Government of Punjab developed the ‘Policy on Controlling Smog’ to mitigate the effects of air pollution across Punjab, including Lahore. This paper critically examines the policy. First, it establishes a scientific baseline to describe smog to justify a comparison between Lahore, London, Beijing, and Los Angeles. Second, it establishes a positive correlation between poor air quality and negative public health outcomes. Next, it points out scientific, data and other concerns in Punjab’s smog policy, and then compares it and draws lessons from counterpart policies in the same cities. The paper argues and concludes that while the ‘Policy on Controlling Smog, 2017’ is a useful blueprint to organise efforts in Pakistan’s Punjab province, it is not leveraging lessons from other cities nor is it consistent with the latest scientific research on air quality in general and Lahore in particular. Hence, it is ill-equipped to maximise public health outcomes.