Pakistan ranks 179th in the EPI, with 25.5 points, slipping down 4 spots in the past decade. With regard to eco-system vitality, Pakistan stands at 173rd rank, and for biodiversity protection it ranks 158th.

While marine protection, with low scores for Marine KBA Protection and Marine Habitat Protection, shows little change, terrestrial biodiversity is slightly better. Terrestrial KBA Protection ranks 82nd.

Air quality remains another critical concern: on Air Pollution, Pakistan stands at 166th, while on Ozone Exposure it is 178th. Water and sanitation concerns are also operational, with the country standing at 136 regarding sanitation and drinking water, where limited progress has been made in the waste management of wastewater.

Climate change mitigation is weak, ranked 150th, with growing emissions both in carbon dioxide and methane. Waste management indicates mixed results, with a relatively good ranking of 40 in Waste Generation Per Capita, though rather poor in terms of Waste Recovery Rate (ranked at 101).

The overall data point to a decaying environmental crisis highly marked in pollution control, biodiversity preservation, and climate change mitigation, requiring immediate intervention for a sustainable future.

On the issues related to environmental protection, Pakistan has signed international agreements, i.e., UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1994; Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances; Basel Convention on Biological Diversity, 1994; International Convention to Combat Desertification, 1994.

As Pakistan was experiencing industrial changes with the passage of time, some environmental practices have become serious issues in regard to its health, economy and biodiversity. Consequently, these negative variations in the healthy practice of environment have been criminalized in Pakistan.

The list of such crimes includes illegal logging and poaching of endangered species, toxic waste dumping without any regulation, and extraction of oil and many natural resources. The conventional ways of curbing environmental crimes have already been proven ineffective, and the need for a shift in approach is dire.

Recent developments in technology, especially Artificial Intelligence, have the potential to muster up new ways to tackle the aforementioned problems.

Environmental crime: Definitions and........

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