LAHORE: A sum of whopping Rs795bn has been allocated for `Climate Resilient Punjab` in the 2025-26 provincial budget but projects where this fund will be spent have not been specified and clarity is missing.

The government says that the huge allocation is based on a `Climate Resilient Tagging Framework`, which integrates climate adaptation and mitigation measures across all major development sectors of the AnnualDevelopment Programme.

However, environmentalists are of the view that Punjab, like other provinces, has a history of underutilising development funds owing to wrong priorities, weak implementation, lack of transparency and limited institutional capacity.

Lack of clarity of projects `On which specific projects this huge sum of money (Rs795bn) will be spent is still not clear. Without strong monitoring and accountability mechanisms, there is a high risk that much of this funding could remain unspent or diverted from its intended purpose,` World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan Director General Hammad Nagi Khan says while talking to Dawn.

He also adds that in the countries like Pakistan, where the impacts of climate change are visibly severe, such commit-ments should be welcomed.

`However, due to a history of overambitious promises that were not followed by meaningful action on the ground, without clear breakdowns, transparent budgeting, and a public monitoring mechanism, such announcements become symbolic rather than impactful.

Cosmetic measures To a question about the government`s cosmetic measures in the face of major climate change challenges, Mr Khan says: `The government has devised a strategy, and taken certain steps but they are inadequate against escalating climate threats`.

According to him, smog efforts focus on temporary crop residue burning bans while ignoring fuel quality, polluting vehicles and unchecked industries.

`Flood management prioritises reactive relief over preven-tive measures like floodplain zoning and drainage upgrades.

Rapid groundwater depletion continues with minimal largescale conservation efforts,` he says and adds that new climate challenges are emerging with severity like Lahore 5-7°C is hotter than rural areas yet cooling strategies remain absent from urban planning and agriculture suffers from erratic monsoons andunseasonalfrosts.

`While initiatives like the Punjab Climate Action Plan show intent, execution is fragmented.

There is a need for transformative action like proper land use planning, enforced industrial emission standards and clean transport expansion, climate-smart agriculture with weather-based crop insurance, urban heat mitigation through mandatory green infrastructure and water security via groundwater recharge and irrigation modernization,` saysHammad Nagi Khan.

Allocation not exclusive to environment dept Speaking to Dawn, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has termed the Rs795bn allocation constituting approximately 64pc of the total ADP a realistic and strategic investment, showing the government`s climate resilient development vision.

`However, it`s important to clarify that this amount is not exclusively for the environment department or for climate change in a narrow sense. Rather, this allocation is based on a Climate Resilient Tagging Framework, which integrates climate adaptation and mitigation measures across all major development sectors of the ADP.

Ms Aurangzeb, who also holds the portfolio of environment ministry, says climate change is a national crisis as Pakistan`s demographic and agricultural backbone is on the frontlines.

`Punjab faces the brunt of rising temperatures, water stress, smog and extreme weather events.

The Punjab government firmly views climate change not just as an environmental issue but as a development and survival challenge. As a result, its entire development model is being reoriented around climate resilience, embedding sustainability into policy planning and execution across all sectors. This shift reflects a commitment to long term solutions that safeguard ecosystems and the economy alike. However, the multi-sectoral nature of climate change is itself a major challenge requiring coordination across government, communities and development partners.

A multi-sectoral strategy or what? The minister says the amount (in the budget) would be spend on climate-resilient infrastructure, flood protection, agricultural reforms and climate resilient mechanization, climate-smart farming, disaster risk reduction and preparedness, roads and building networks and building codes designed for extreme weather, electric mass transit systems, renewable energy, water infrastructure , conservation and efficiency, urban and rural sustainable planning, green and smarttechnologies.

Ms Aurangzeb adds for the first time a multi-sectoral climate resilience strategy is being implemented in Punjab, not a stand-alone environmental programme.

`The Punjab government is fully committed to ensuring this allocation is effectively translated into implementation. To ensure this, it has adopted strong accountability mechanisms including outputbased sectoralbudgeting, disbursement linked indicators, and thirdparty validation. These are being implemented in collaboration with leading international development partners such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB),` she says and added this marks a paradigm shift in public finance, where climate resilience is no longer a side agenda rather it is the foundation of Punjab`s development approach.

The minister further said that Punjab is now at the forefront of Pakistan`s climate adaptation and resilience efforts. `Recognising the existential threat posed by drought, floods, smog, and rising temperatures, the government has shifted from ad hoc responses to long-term, institutionalised, and multi-sectoral strategies.

Question of global acknowledgement Pakistan is a victim of climate change, but the world is not acknowledging and helping it, believe the environmentalists.

`Pakistan faces a significant challenge with underfunded climate projects, despite being highlyvulnerable to climate change. The country`s climate mitigation and adaptation needs are estimated to be $40bn and $7-14bn (NDCs 2021), respectively, yet it receives a relatively small amount of international climate finance. The reasons include limited institutional capacity, reliance on debt-based climate finance, political instability, poor governance, lack of climate-specific institutions, limited international media coverage of Pakistan`s climate crises,` points out Hammad NaqiKhan.

On the other hand, Marriyum Aurangzeb says the world did acknowledge Pakistan`s vulnerability but the speed and scale of global support remain insufficient. However, the 2022 floods changed the global perception significantly.

`The international response during the 2022 climate-induced floods with dozens of countries, UN agencies, and global financial institutions coming forward reflected recognition and trust in Pakistan`s climate cause. In the Geneva Conference 2023, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif`s diplomacy helped secure over $9bn in pledges. This showed not only the world`s recognition of Pakistan`s vulnerability, but also its trust in the country`s roadmap for climate resilience and recovery.

However, she says Pakistan continues to call for equitable climate financing, urgent activation of the loss and damage fund, and greater accountability from global emitters.