Environmental Issues

Pakistan has one of the highest deforestation rates in Asia — losing approximately 27,000 hectares of forest every year. Forest cover stands at only about 4.8% of total land area, far below the internationally recommended minimum of 25% and Pakistan's own target of 10%. The consequences are severe: increased soil erosion, flooding, loss of biodiversity, and worsened climate change impacts. KPK province contains over 40% of Pakistan's remaining forests and has been the focus of reforestation efforts.

The Billion Tree Tsunami was launched in 2014–15 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) by Imran Khan's PTI provincial government — aiming to plant one billion trees to reverse deforestation. The project received international recognition from the UN Environment Programme and IUCN as a global model. When PTI came to power federally in 2018, Imran Khan expanded it into the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami — a national programme targeting 10 billion trees across all four provinces and AJK/GB.

Pakistan has crossed the UN-defined water scarcity threshold — falling below 1,000 cubic metres per capita per year. At independence in 1947, per capita water availability was approximately 5,260 m³. By the 2020s, this had fallen to around 900 m³ — a decline of over 80% driven by rapid population growth and inefficient water use. Pakistan now officially qualifies as a water-scarce country and is on track to become "absolutely water-scarce" (below 500 m³) within decades.

Waterlogging and soil salinity are twin consequences of Pakistan's flood irrigation system — affecting millions of hectares of agricultural land. Waterlogging occurs when poorly drained irrigation water raises the water table to within 1.5 metres of the surface, saturating crop roots. As this water evaporates, it leaves behind salt deposits (salinity). An estimated 6 million hectares — about 25% of irrigated land — is affected, costing billions in lost agricultural output annually.

Lahore has frequently topped global air quality index (AQI) rankings as the world's most polluted major city — particularly during October–January when winter smog settles over the Punjab plains. The "smog season" is caused by a toxic mix of vehicle emissions, brick kiln smoke, crop residue burning (stubble burning after the rice harvest in October), and industrial exhaust trapped by cold air. PM2.5 particles — the most dangerous — regularly exceed WHO safe limits by 10–20 times in Lahore during peak smog.

Pakistan's rivers are heavily polluted by untreated industrial waste — particularly from the textile sector, Pakistan's largest industry. Dyeing and finishing units discharge toxic chemicals directly into rivers. The Ravi river in Lahore is considered biologically dead in many stretches. Plastic pollution is also severe — Pakistan generates approximately 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with very little recycling infrastructure.

The 2005 Kashmir earthquake was one of the deadliest natural disasters in Pakistan's history and one of the deadliest earthquakes of the 21st century. Striking on the morning of 8 October 2005 at 8:52 AM, the 7.6-magnitude quake was centred near Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir. Schools were full when the earthquake struck — thousands of pupils were buried under collapsing buildings. It killed over 73,000, injured 128,000, and left 3.5 million homeless as winter approached.

Pakistan has suffered two catastrophic flood events this century — 2010 and 2022 — both breaking records. The 2010 floods submerged roughly one-fifth (1/5) of Pakistan's land, affecting 20 million people. The 2022 floods were even worse — submerging one-third (1/3) of Pakistan, affecting 33 million, and causing ~$30 billion in damages. The 2022 floods were caused partly by Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) combined with record monsoon rainfall, and were directly linked to climate change. Pakistan then made a strong moral argument at COP27 for "Loss and Damage" compensation.

Pakistan ranks among the most climate-vulnerable countries on Earth despite contributing less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The IPCC has identified Pakistan as one of the ten most climate-vulnerable countries. Pakistan has the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar regions — over 7,000 glaciers in the Karakoram, Hindukush, and Himalayas — and accelerating glacier melt is creating both immediate flood risks (GLOFs) and long-term water shortages. Cities like Jacobabad regularly record some of the world's highest temperatures.

Pakistan has over 30 national parks protecting diverse ecosystems — from high-altitude Himalayan terrain to coastal mangroves and desert scrub. The most important parks range from Hingol (Pakistan's largest, in Balochistan) to Khunjerab (the high-altitude park on the Chinese border famous for snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep). Despite protected status, many face threats from poaching, encroachment, and underfunding.

Pakistan has significant mangrove forests along the Indus Delta and Makran coast — once among the world's largest — but decades of reduced freshwater flow, fuelwood cutting, and coastal development have severely damaged them. Mangrove restoration is now a major priority. WWF-Pakistan is the country's leading conservation body, working on snow leopard protection, Indus river dolphin conservation, sea turtle nesting, and mangrove restoration.