Chair of Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, has called for an urgent national shift toward sustainable, circular, and climate-resilient construction.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the 2nd edition of Pakistan Sustainability Summit and Awards in Islamabad on Wednesday, she urged sustainable construction, saying that Pakistan stands at a critical juncture in its climate and urbanisation trajectory.
Themed “Sustainable Housing for Economic Resilience and Climate Smart Living”, the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) arranged the event as an annual component of its National Climate Action Advocacy Program.
“Pakistan already has Green Building Codes, but implementation is extremely low”, Sherry Rehman said, adding that 49 per cent of national emissions come from the cement industry, making it essential to shift construction practices toward sustainability.
She stated that 39 per cent of Pakistan’s population is urban, and when considering population density and concentration measures, this figure rises to 88 per cent, with nearly 42 per cent of the country classified as peri-urban. The prevailing scenario demands a radical rethink of planning and growth models, she said.
“Urbanisation is happening fast, especially in peri-urban regions where expanding settlements now resemble towns. These communities lack proper waste disposal systems, which must be addressed immediately,” she emphasised. She stressed that Pakistan is among the fastest urbanising nations in Asia, making it imperative to embed sustainability into every tier of planning and construction.
Referring to the catastrophic 2022 floods, she reminded the audience that fragile and poorly located structures were wiped out within moments. “A hotel collapsed in seconds during the 2022 floods. The question is: Why was construction allowed there? Shockingly, we saw the same failures again during the 2025 floods. This shows the private sector still isn’t alarmed.”
She called on the government to ensure strong and resilient infrastructure, warning that Pakistan cannot continue the dangerous practice of building on floodplains and stormwater paths.
Senator Rehman stressed the need for circular construction models, integrating reduce, reuse, and recycle principles into building codes. “Our construction sector must move decisively toward circularity. Reducing waste, improving material efficiency, and adopting regenerative models is no longer optional — it is imperative.”
She noted that CE adoption could save Pakistan $1.5 to 2 billion annually by 2030, primarily by reducing material imports and landfill costs, according to the World Bank. Recycling half of the country’s waste could reduce 4 to 5 million tons of CO₂ emissions per year, aligning with Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
Founder and Executive Director of Devcom-Pakistan, Syed Munir Ahmed, said: “Pakistan stands at a crucial juncture where economic pressures, rapid urbanisation, and climate change intersect. The country’s annual housing shortfall exceeds 400,000 units, while nearly 40 per cent of its urban population lives in informal settlements lacking basic facilities. Meanwhile, the construction and real estate sectors, although major contributors to GDP and employment, are among the largest consumers of natural resources and energy, and major sources of carbon emissions. In this backdrop, the Pakistan Sustainability Summit 2025 aimed to serve as a high-level national platform for knowledge exchange, dialogue, and collaboration among policymakers, builders, architects, engineers, academia, investors, and development organisations.”
