LAHORE: To mark the Earth Hour, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) on Saturday organised a ‘Post-Smog Engagement Session’ at the Green Building Headquarters, reinforcing its commitment to climate action, clean air, and sustainable governance.

The event, held in the spirit of this year’s Earth Hour theme focusing on collective climate responsibility and energy conservation, brought together more than 50 participants from academia, civil society, media, and the legal community. Representatives from leading institutions, including the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, University of Central Punjab (UCP), Government College University (GCU) Lahore, and University of the Punjab, participated in the session.

The engagement commenced with a guided visit to the Punjab Climate Watch — widely known as the Smog War Room — where participants were briefed on EPA Punjab’s real-time monitoring and enforcement strategies to combat air pollution.

Officials highlighted that these efforts had earned international recognition, with the IQAir 2025 report confirming a 13 per cent reduction in PM2.5 levels in Lahore — the lowest since the Covid-19 period.

A comprehensive session was later held at the Center for Knowledge Exchange & Policy Dialogue (CKE&PD), where participants were presented with Punjab’s anti-smog journey as a model of green governance. The initiative reflects a data-driven and technology-based approach under strong administrative leadership, aligning closely with the global objectives of Earth Hour to promote environmental sustainability and climate resilience.

EPA Director General Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh highlighted that Earth Hour was not merely a symbolic switch-off campaign, but a call for sustained behavioural change, institutional coordination and policy innovation.

He said that environmental regulation had been transformed through digitisation, transparent enforcement, and scientific decision-making.

Dr Sheikh further said that the success in reducing smog levels was the result of coordinated efforts involving multiple departments, strict enforcement actions, and active public engagement. He said that they would continue to expand partnerships with academia and research institutions to develop long-term, evidence-based solutions for environmental challenges.

During an interactive question-and-answer session, Dr Sheikh responded to queries from participants, encouraging collaborative research, student engagement, and knowledge exchange. He stressed that such forums were essential to bridge the gap between policy and practice, particularly in the context of evolving climate challenges.

The participants termed the engagement session a significant step towards inclusive policy making and environmental awareness in line with Earth Hour’s global message.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2026