LAHORE: Fossil fuel combustion contributes more than twice as much black carbon to Lahore’s air as the burning of biomass, according to a new source apportionment study, which recorded the city’s total black carbon concentration at 3.82 micrograms per cubic metre.
The finding emerges from a PM2.5 source apportionment study conducted jointly by the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department and the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
The study found that black carbon particles generated by fossil fuels measured 2.58 micrograms per cubic metre in Lahore’s air.
Black carbon produced by biomass burning — the combustion of wood, crop residue and other organic material — measured 1.24 micrograms per cubic metre.
The highest concentration of black carbon was recorded on 30 August, when the total reached 3.82 micrograms per cubic metre. The study was conducted in Lahore between 15 and 31 August 2026.
The purpose of the exercise was to identify the major sources of black carbon within PM2.5 so that effective measures can be framed to control air pollution in the city.
The data indicates that fossil fuel use is a prominent source of black carbon pollution, including emissions from vehicles and other fuel-burning sources.
Black carbon is a distinct component of fine particulate matter, consisting of extremely fine soot particles produced by incomplete combustion. Experts say these particles can be harmful to human health, carrying a risk of respiratory problems, heart disease, and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat.
Because of their size, black carbon particles penetrate deep into the lungs and can enter the bloodstream, which is why they are tracked separately from coarser particulate fractions.
Black carbon also has a second significance. Unlike most components of PM2.5, it absorbs sunlight rather than scattering it, making it a short-lived climate forcer as well as a health pollutant. Reducing it delivers both an air-quality benefit and a near-term climate benefit — a rare overlap in pollution policy, and one reason black carbon has become a priority target for source-apportionment work internationally.
The measurement window is significant. The study ran in the second half of August — before the autumn crop-residue burning season and before the onset of temperature inversions. That means the biomass share of 1.24 micrograms per cubic metre reflects a period of relatively low agricultural burning, and the fossil fuel share of 2.58 represents the city’s structural, year-round combustion baseline from traffic and fuel use.
That distinction has a direct policy implication. Seasonal enforcement against stubble burning addresses a component that rises sharply in October and November but is not the dominant contributor in the measured period. The larger and more persistent share traces to sources that operate every day of the year.
The finding aligns with the province’s broader enforcement approach, which includes thermal drone deployment to track emission sources and continuous monitoring of air quality across Punjab. The Environment Protection Department has said a zero-tolerance policy is being applied against violations of environmental law.
Source apportionment studies of this kind are the standard scientific basis on which cities build emission-reduction plans, because they replace assumption with measurement. Lahore’s air quality debate has historically been conducted with limited local data, and studies covering discrete seasonal windows allow policy to be targeted rather than generalised.
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