Islamabad:Arif Goheer, Executive Director, Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC), has said the waste sector sits at the intersection of climate science, urban governance and sustainable development, yet remains ‘one of the most under-recognised but high-impact mitigation opportunities’ for Pakistan.
Mr Goheer was addressing a webinar on “Waste sector emissions & bottom-up policy inputs for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in Pakistan” organised here by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
Mr Goheer said that according to the 2024 greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory prepared under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reporting framework, the waste sector contributes around eight per cent of Pakistan’s total GHG emissions, mainly in the form of methane, which has nearly 20 times higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide over the short-term.
“Pakistan generates approximately 45 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, increasing at 7 to 8 per cent per year due to rapid urbanisation and changing consumption patterns,” he said, adding that though the national per capita waste generation figure used in inventories is 0.65 kilogrammes per day, it has risen to between one and 1.25 kilogrammes per day in metropolitan cities such as Karachi and Lahore.
He noted that 70 to 80 per cent of collected waste is openly dumped, while wastewater treatment coverage remains only about 10 per cent nationwide, leading to unmanaged anaerobic decomposition and significant methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
He suggested shifting from a bulk-approach emissions inventory to a life-cycle approach, supported by time-series data at district and municipal levels.
Dr Ayesha Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Akhtar Hameed Khan Foundation, said that formal recognition to informal waste workers is critical for long-term impact. She said that even when informal workers form cooperatives, lack of legal, social and contractual recognition keeps them confined to isolated pilot initiatives. She suggested integrating them as recognised contract workers within municipal service frameworks.
Rabia Razak from International Labour Organisation (ILO) suggested adopting a just transition framework in NDC implementation. Referring to the inclusion of just transition language in Pakistan’s NDC 3.0, she urged stakeholders to translate it into sector-specific action, including identification, mapping and provision of decent working conditions for waste workers.
Shibu Nair from Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) underscored the importance of zero-waste models as climate action tools and advocated leveraging international methane partnerships and climate finance mechanisms for cities with populations exceeding one million.
Zainab Naeem from SDPI said that the developing countries, particularly in South Asia, face serious challenges due to the dominance of informal actors in the waste sector, lack of source segregation, open dumping and inadequate landfill infrastructure.
She also pointed to global developments around circular economy solutions and negotiations on plastic pollution, emphasisng to recognise locally practiced, climate-friendly solutions instead of relying solely on imported models.
