Abstract
Environmental governance in Pakistan, which although had never been strong in the past, has further debilitated post 18th amendment. This paper focuses on environmental governance post devolution. It analyzes who can effectively protect environment—the center or the provinces—and so shall be responsible for efficient environmental management in a federal state. Further, it highlights post-devolution challenges particularly the weak fiscal decentralization and lack of coordination in the area. Being a developing country facing fiscal constraints, it is very unlikely for environment to become a central subject, hence, the paper underlines possibilities on increasing inter-governmental, intra-provincial partnership especially focusing on participation by the local governments for optimal environment protection.
Highlights
Pakistan is a country facing serious environment insecurity challenges ranging from inadequate access to clean drinking water to air pollution and deforestation to serious climate change vulnerabilities
Against the gravity of these multi-dimensional environmental threats facing the country, this paper focuses on environment governance in Pakistan in the context of the 18th constitutional amendment of 2010 that redefined the domains of legislation for the central and provincial legislatures and authorities
Post 18th amendment, neither environment pollution nor climate change are enumerated in the Federal Legislative List (FLL)
Summary
Pakistan is a country facing serious environment insecurity challenges ranging from inadequate access to clean drinking water to air pollution and deforestation to serious climate change vulnerabilities. With polycentricism being an emerging discussion in natural resource governance (where decisions are made dynamically amid multiple centers of semiautonomous tiers of the government),[6] the paper analyses the prevailing efficacy of devolution of environmental governance from the federal government to provinces as well as the question of which tier can effectively protect environment and should be responsible for efficient environmental management in the federal state of Pakistan. It highlights post-devolution challenges— the fiscal decentralization and coordination issues. Pakistan being a resource-constrained developing country, it is less likely for environment to become a central subject in presence of other pressing traditional issues in the strategic and security realms, and with less understanding of the implications.8The paper underlines possibilities on increasing inter-governmental, intra provincial partnership as well as increasing need of participation by the local governments for optimal environment protection
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