The environment is the subtle fabric that cradles us. The gasp of gust through prehistoric trees, the quiet forte of foothills, and the sparkle of starlight mirrored in stagnant waters; these are the quiet wonders that sustain us. Yet, this sacred balance is wearing out. Prompt global warming has turned the pulse of seasons into turmoil.
Pakistan now witnesses unseasonal snow falling like ghostly whispers over summer valleys, hailstorms in Islamabad pounding rooftops into ruin, and glacial lakes bursting with fury, unleashing floods that swallow homes, fields, and memories. These are no longer rare calamities; they are the new language of a planet in distress.
In the fragrance of petrichor, the hush of forests at dawn, and the silver thread of rivers winding through the plains lay in the poetry of life, poetry we risk losing. Sustainability is the vow we must make. Climate resilience is the armour we must wear. To preserve the earth is not to protect “nature” as something separate from us, but to guard the heartbeat of our own survival. I believe that preserving nature is preserving our own mother, our homeland, i.e., ‘Mother Earth,’ and so we create safe spaces for those little colourful creatures who reside in the mud.
In the face of a climate crisis that spares no corner of the globe, Pakistan has stepped forward not just with policies but with purpose. Under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership, environmental and climate change initiatives have moved from the sidelines to the centre of the nation’s development agenda. From renewable energy projects to nationwide plantation drives, the vision is clear: a cleaner, greener, and more climate-resilient Pakistan.
Under the chairmanship of Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan, the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme has launched multiple impactful initiatives for environmental conservation through its flagship Green Youth Movement (GYM), executed by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. This programme empowers young people to lead climate action, promote eco-friendly practices, and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. So far, 137 GYM Clubs have been established in public sector universities, with focal persons appointed and plans underway to expand to 160 universities. Over 68,500 youth have been engaged, including more than 18,000 active club members. Students are taking the lead in plantation drives, nurturing trees as a personal promise to care for the homeland they love.
All provinces of Pakistan are beautiful, each requiring strong climate action. In Punjab, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif embodies this purpose-driven approach. Every step of her leadership feels like a step toward healing and renewal. From plantation drives to clean-tech transitions, her policies are deeply intertwined with the fight against environmental calamities.
In December 2024, she launched Suthra Punjab, a sweeping waste management and sanitation drive aimed at transforming 149 tehsils. The programme deployed over 21,000 cleaning machines and waste collection rickshaws, a public helpline, and a mobile app for citizen reports. Staying true to her message of “say no to plastic,” the Chief Minister has championed recycling innovations, transforming single-use plastics into practical community assets. “We are making benches and school swings from recycled plastic,” she often emphasises, showing how circular use can fuel both environmental good and economic opportunity.
Recently, as part of this initiative, she inaugurated a biogas pilot project to highlight the economic potential of waste-to-energy solutions. Officials estimate that 20,000 to 25,000 kilograms of biogas can be generated from 1,000 metric tons of waste, with sacrificial animal waste alone capable of producing revenue worth six to seven million rupees. What was once a sanitation challenge has become a valuable energy resource. In my opinion, that’s the turning point for a nation’s progress.
When the air itself becomes poison, breathing turns into an act of quiet endurance. Lahore’s winter haze no longer just dims the skyline, but it stalks the lungs of every child, elder, and passerby. During the record-breaking smog episode, when Lahore’s Air Quality soared above 1,000 and some areas reached near 2,500, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif led urgent measures to initiate Punjab’s first Climate Resilient Vision and Action Plan (CRVAP) to mitigate the impact of smog. The plan includes the deployment of mobile air-purifying units, the establishment of a smog helpline to support citizens, and the creation of a dedicated smog mitigation task force to coordinate responses. These steps mark a pioneering approach to air pollution in South Asia.
Breathing clean air in a bustling metropolis often feels like a luxury, but Punjab is working to make it a right. With traffic emissions among the biggest contributors to urban smog, the province is steering toward a future where public transport is not only efficient but also eco-friendly. In early 2025, Punjab launched its first electric bus service in Lahore, inaugurated by the Chief Minister herself. Now this initiative has been expanded to several cities of Punjab, including Wazirabad, Sahiwal, Mianwali, Faisalabad and Sargodha. Running entirely on zero emissions, these buses promise cleaner city air. Green mobility here is more than just a technological upgrade; rather, it is a cultural transformation, rethinking how cities move, how people connect, and how the environment can thrive alongside urban growth.
As the winds of change sweep across Pakistan, the air carries more than the scent of rain; instead, it carries hope. Every sapling planted, every breath of cleaner air, every innovation born from waste tells the story of a nation refusing to surrender to the storms of the climate crisis. The road ahead is long, but each green initiative is a seed of resilience, each act of preservation a quiet defiance against a world in peril. And perhaps, if we listen closely, the earth will one day whisper back in gratitude only and not with the roar of disaster, but with the gentle hum of a planet at peace.
The writer is a digital media executive at the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme.
