Faith leaders in Pakistan call for urgent action on Lahore’s air pollution

By LiCAS News

In Punjab’s capital, where air quality consistently surpasses World Health Organization (WHO) limits, local authorities have closed primary schools and public offices and are considering motor vehicle restrictions. 

Medical professionals report increased respiratory illnesses, lung conditions, and allergies linked to poor air quality.

Lahore, home to 14 million residents and a central hub for Pakistan, now carries the troubling label of “the most polluted city in the world.” 

In response, leaders from Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and Hindu communities have formed “interfaith collaboration initiatives to address the problem, which has become one of the greatest environmental and public health challenges and poses serious health risks,” said Christian James Rehmat, head of the World Commission for Human Development, in a report by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency.

The initiative goes beyond short-term solutions, seeking to build “long-term habits of environmental protection among the population,” Mr. Rehmat explained. 

Religious leaders are using their influence to “raise awareness, educate believers, and encourage community engagement in sustainable practices,” he added. 

Messages in line with their faith traditions address environmental care as a responsibility—Christian leaders reference Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, Sikh representatives advocate for “well-being for all,” and Muslim clerics emphasize that “creation and living beings are not to be understood as ‘objects of consumption’.”

The alliance has rolled out various initiatives, including tree-planting campaigns across the city, and is hosting seminars, workshops, and community events to promote sustainable practices. 

“Changes in people’s lifestyles are being promoted, such as using public transport, switching to cleaner energy sources, car sharing; religious leaders want to encourage people to adopt environmentally friendly habits and practices,” Mr. Rehmat noted.

In addition to community action, religious groups are pushing for government measures. The coalition is urging stricter regulations on vehicle emissions and industrial pollutants. 

“We hope that as religious representatives we can persuade politicians to take measures that address the problem of smog structurally in order to make the urban environment cleaner,” Mr. Rehmat said.

Education is a key part of the coalition’s strategy. “Religious communities are trying to spread these issues among young people, with initiatives that teach children, adolescents and young adults, especially in schools of all levels, the principles of environmental protection rooted in their respective religious traditions,” Mr. Rehmat said. 

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