PIPS held a dedicated Policy Focused Roundtable on theme “Air Quality Regulation in Action: Costs, Health Evidence and International Success Stories” on Monday, 8th December 2025, at PIPS Campus, Islamabad, from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. Professor Anthony Wexler, Director Air Quality Research Center, UC Davis, California USA attended the session as keynote speaker and shared his research with the participants. More than 20 Parliamentary researchers from the Senate of Pakistan, National Assembly, Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) research and legislation teams as well as public policy senior semester researchers from Riphah In’ll University attended the event. Ms. Tehseen Khalid, Director (Research) moderated the event and while giving an overview about the session she introduced the expert foreign faculty to the participants. The event formally commenced with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by Mr Wajid Aslam, AD Research.
In the inaugural session, Mr. Asim Khan Goraya, Executive Director, PIPS delivered welcome remarks and thanked Professor Anthony Wexler for dedicating his time to for the policy talk and also appreciated the participants. Citing latest statistics, he highlighted that the AQI readings depict dangerously high levels triggering health warnings especially for vulnerable people. He apprised the participants about the recent developments taken up at the highest level in Pakistan, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), and commitment to shift 30% of vehicle sales to the electric mode by the end of decade and the introduction of clean and healthy environment as a fundamental right in the very structure of the Constitution. The inaugural session concluded with a group photo and presentation of mementoes and set of PIPS publication to the distinguished guest speaker by the worthy Executive Director, PIPS.
Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, Director General Research, PIPS led a brief round of introduction and shed light on the importance of the policy roundtable and the main theme as well as shared recent development is Pakistan including the inclusion of right to safe and healthy environment as fundamental human right in the Constitution.
Professor Anthony Wexler commenced his presentation by emphasizing on economic consequences of outdoor air pollution and highlighted that increased economic activity has increased energy production/consumption and resulted in increased air pollution, and the consequences. He emphasized that unless there are large scale shift to renewables, prevalent cost will continue to upsurge. While explaining a “Pyramid of Effects” from air pollution, Mr. Wexler presented an overview of people dying each year from air pollution in US, Europe, China and Worldwide and led discussion on key questions. While charting PM2.5 Economic Costs he shed light on World Bank (2022) Pakistan Climate and Development Report outlining increased risks and losts. In another fascinating topic Mr. Wexler apprised the participants on the concept of Air Pollution Life Cycles of Ozone and for particulate matter (PM) describing a pollutant’s journey from its Source, through its Atmospheric Journey, to its Deposition and the resulting health and environmental impacts while also sharing success stories.
Throughout the session the participants raised numerous questions and shared their perspectives pertaining to prevailing environmental and pollution related issues, different strategies, recent developments and appropriate measures to curtail these issues.
At the end, Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka gave vote of thanks and expressed his gratitude to Professor Anthony Wexler for joining the policy Roundtable and sharing his work and insights on the important theme. He also expressed gratitude to Ms Iffat Mustafa DG R Senate, Mr Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal DG R National Assembly and Prof Kashif Zaheer from Riphah University for sending their fellow researchers to make the policy roundtable an instant success enabling parliamentary researchers to provide depthful data analysis and insight to Hon MPs with regards to climate finance and air quality strategy for the country. Mr Zaka also thanked senior climate finance expert Mr Asim Jafri for joining the roundtable from Lahore. The event concluded with presentation of PIPS Mementoes to Prof Wexlerr by Mr Asim Khan Goraya ED, PIPS and a group photo concluding with the one voice slogan – PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!