ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadig has underlined the need for sustainable policies and collective action to ensure environmentalprotection and address climate change issues.

He said providing a clean, green, and safe environment was a fundamental right of future generations, and that environmental protection was a shared national, social, and moral responsibility.

He expressed these views in his message on the occasion of World Environment Day, observed annually on June s under the auspices of the United Nations.The speaker stated that the Parliament had always played a pivotal role in promoting environmental awareness and enacting legislation related to environmental protection. He added that relevant committees remained actively engaged in this regard, and severalinitiativeshad been proposed across the country.

Mr Sadig further noted that Pakistan`s Parliament had made significant contributions toward formu-latingeffective legislation and policies aimed at combating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability.

In her message, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator and Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change Sherry Rehman issued a grave warning about Pakistan`s escalating climate crisis and called for immediate action at both national and international levels.

`This day is not just symbolic it is a critical reminder that our planetis in peril, and Pakistan is standing at the frontlines of climate devastation, said Ms Rehman.

Referring to the latest Climate Risk Index (CRI) released by Germanwatch earlier this year, she pointed out that Pakistan was ranked the most climate-impacted country in the world for 2022, surpassing Belize and Italy.

Ms Rehman called the findings `a harsh reality check,` warning that Pakistan is paying the ultimate price for a crisis it did little to cause.

`We contribute lessthan 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet we are trapped in a cycle of climate catastrophes, she noted.

Ms Rehman also pointed to recent hailstorms and flash flooding in Islamabad as further evidence of extreme weather becoming the new normal.

`Glaciers are melting, rainfall is unpredictable, and the air we breathe is increasingly poisonous.

Lahore`s toxic smog is a daily reminder of how close we are to environmental collapse,` she said.She emphasised that climate justice must remain at the heart of the global conversation.

`It is unacceptable that countries like Pakistan are left to fend for themselves while the biggest emitters continue business as usual. Without equity and climate finance, there will be no resilience,` she said.

Calling for bold, systemic reforms, Ms Rehman stressed the need to reimagine Pakistan`s urban planning, agriculture, water security, and infrastructure to align with a rapidly changing climate.

She underscored the urgency of shared responsibility, adding, `This isnot just the government`s battle to fight. The private sector, industries, media, and ordinary citizens must all be part of the solution. If we delay action now, we will be left with nothing to act for.

Senator Rehman concluded with a powerful call to action: `No one is coming to save us we must rise to save ourselves. Change begins in our homes, in our choices, in our lifestyles. Let us pledge today, on World Environment Day, that we will not let the next generation inherit a scorched and shattered Earth. Let this be the year of real action-not just rhetoric.