Abstract
Pakistan has a comprehensive environmental policy framework in place to effectively address the issues related to environment such as air pollution, water scarcity, deforestation, and climate change. Key regulatory and policy frameworks include: Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997, National Environmental Policy 2005, National Climate Change Policy 2012, and Pakistan Climate Change Act 2017. However, despite the existence of these policies, Pakistan has witnessed a continuous environmental degradation which raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of environmental governance and effectiveness of these policies. The research evaluates effectiveness of environmental policies by assessing the link between policy, institutional capacity and environmental outcomes. A mixed-method research approach was adopted for this study by combining qualitative policy analysis with quantitative environmental indicators and trends. This study identifies several governance challenges which affect policy effectiveness such as institutional fragmentation between federal and provincial authorities, weak regulatory enforcement, limited environmental monitoring and data infrastructure, rapid urbanization and industrial expansion, climate change vulnerability, limited public participation and environmental awareness. These factors create a significant gap between environmental policy commitments and environmental outcomes. The findings suggest that Pakistan has a strong legislative framework but weak implementation capacity which require strengthening environmental governance by improved regulatory enforcement, enhanced environmental monitoring systems, greater intergovernmental coordination and increased public engagement in environmental decision-making. Effective integration of environmental considerations into national development planning is essential for achieving sustainable environmental management in Pakistan.
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