{
  "id": 6092546,
  "title": "Circular bio-economy and smog crisis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/circular-bio-economy-and-smog-crisis",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-07T02:52:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn Business",
    "slug": "dawn-business",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2027978/circular-bio-economy-and-smog-crisis"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Last month, Punjab's Chief Minister inaugurated a high-tech steam plant in Sheikhupura, designed to consume around 72,000 tonnes of biomass annually. This plant offers a cleaner alternative to the open-field disposal of crop residues, which contributes significantly to Punjab's smog crisis. As the smog season approaches, Lahore and other Pakistani cities frequently rank among the world's most polluted. Punjab's government has resorted to punitive measures against farmers burning crop residues, such as invoking Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, arrests, heavy fines, and jail terms. However, this approach fails to address the economic and operational root causes that compel farmers to burn crop residues. Farmers face a narrow window between harvesting rice and sowing the next crop, with scarce labor and prohibitively expensive alternatives. Burning remains the cheapest and fastest way to clear fields. This practice results in over Rs55bn in lost economic value each year, with 4m tonnes of rice straw burnt annually. A genuine biomass market, where suppliers use tractor-driven straw balers, stubble shavers, rake/windrowers, forklifts, and trolley to collect crop residue, could be the solution. The government can help this ecosystem through targeted tax concessions and subsidies for biomass collection and utilization. Despite the environmental and economic costs, Pakistan's biomass market is expanding due to rising electricity, oil, and gas prices. Policymakers must recognize that Pakistan is transitioning towards a circular bio-economy, reusing agricultural waste, promoting renewable processes, and reducing carbon emissions. The Punjab government should launch a dedicated program to develop crop-residue collection, baling, and supply services, offering targeted subsidies instead of interest-free loans to service providers. This investment could deliver clean air to every citizen, a constitutional right and a more meaningful measure of development.",
  "summary": "Last month, Punjab’s Chief Minister inaugurated a high-tech steam plant in Sheikhupura, built by a multinational company and designed to consume around 72,000 tonnes of biomass as fuel annually. By burning biomass in a controlled environment fitted with emission-control filters, the plant offers a far cleaner alternative to the open-field disposal of crop residues — a practice that remains one of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}