Pakistan’s climate transition stands at a pivotal crossroads, shaped by an uneasy balance between real progress and the shadows of greenwashing. On the one hand, initiatives such as the Global Green Growth Initiative (GGGI) agreement signed in November 2024 and the ambitious National Renewable Energy Policy targeting 60% renewables by 2030 suggest a determined national effort to shift toward sustainability. Yet beneath these high-profile moves, a more troubling narrative lurks, one of inconsistency, selective implementation, and a political economy that too often prioritizes appearance over substance.
Pakistan’s environmental policies often collapse under the weight of bureaucratic inertia and fragmented governance.
Pakistan’s partnership with the GGGI promises to address pressing environmental challenges, particularly water scarcity and deforestation, and signals international alignment. But impressive memoranda mean little without institutional muscle and sustained political will. As experience shows, Pakistan’s environmental policies often collapse under the weight of bureaucratic inertia and fragmented governance.
Similarly, while the National Renewable Energy Policy is drawing global attention, its rollout has been skewed toward wealthier urban populations able to afford solar subsidies, leaving behind large segments of the rural poor who bear the brunt of climate vulnerability. This pattern raises questions about whether Pakistan’s green energy boom is genuinely transformative or simply another layer of privilege masking systemic inequalities.
Perhaps the most symbolic initiative is the Living Indus Initiative, launched in 2021, which aims to restore the ecological health of the Indus River Basin, the lifeline of Pakistan’s agrarian economy.
Perhaps the most symbolic initiative is the Living Indus Initiative, launched in 2021, which aims to restore the ecological health of the Indus River Basin, the lifeline of Pakistan’s agrarian economy. This program, if fully funded and implemented, could be a flagship for climate resilience. But as critics point out, projects like the Cholistan Canal under the broader Green Pakistan Initiative reveal serious tensions: while intended to irrigate vast barren lands, they risk devastating downstream ecosystems, including the fragile Indus Delta, and are being pursued without sufficient provincial or local consultation. Here, green rhetoric cloaks the old politics of top-down, center-driven development.
Pakistan’s newly introduced National Carbon Market Policy and its engagement with the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty underscore a desire to project itself as a climate leader in South Asia. Yet these efforts raise a critical dilemma. The economic structures underpinning Pakistan’s energy, industry, and agriculture remain deeply carbon-dependent, and without clear roadmaps for just transitions, such commitments risk becoming performative gestures rather than genuine shifts. The political economy of Pakistan’s climate policy, riddled with rent-seeking behavior, short-term political calculations, and weak regulatory enforcement, invites justified skepticism.
Climate resilience cannot be engineered through megaprojects alone; it requires engaging local communities…
International observers and domestic stakeholders alike are left asking: Is Pakistan committed to climate action for the sake of its people and environment, or is it leveraging the global climate agenda for diplomatic capital and green financing? The answer, so far, appears mixed. The country’s climate record is punctuated by ambitious declarations followed by erratic implementation. Climate policy uncertainty, as repeatedly noted by analysts, stems from shifting political priorities, revolving-door leadership at key institutions, and a lack of integrated planning across federal and provincial levels.
For Pakistan to avoid the trap of greenwashing, its government must go beyond headline-grabbing announcements. This means embedding transparency, accountability, and social equity into every layer of its climate strategy. Climate resilience cannot be engineered through megaprojects alone; it requires engaging local communities…
Disclaimer:Â The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.
