EDITORIAL: This government has attracted well-deserved positive attention from an important international organisation. Prime Minister Imran Khan posted on his Twitter account on Sunday a World Economic Forum video, rightfully claiming that PTI’s environment policies are being recognised, especially “our green recovery programme from the Covid-19 pandemic and our climate action plan.” The video shows three ways Pakistan is building a green future with the voice-over noting that the country has pledged to source 60 percent of energy from renewables by 2030; it has scrapped two coal-based projects replacing them with hydroelectric projects; it is working towards creation of 15 national parks; it has created 85,000 green jobs from plant care to protection of forests; it has trained 5,000 young people to be ‘nature guardians’ and it has invested in green spaces; it is also launching a $500 million ‘green Eurobond.’

Pakistan contributes only one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions yet, as the PM noted in his address to the Climate Ambition Summit, 2020, “we are the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change.” Creditably for him, his government has decided to mitigate the effects of this change through nature-based solutions. The new energy policy promises a major shift from fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives, including hydroelectric power, which is both clean and cost-effective. However, notwithstanding the benefits, we must not forget that Pakistan is also a water-stressed country. According to experts, it is to face a water crisis in the next 10 to 15 years. Already with weather patterns getting erratic, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has frequently been reporting water shortages due to decreased river flows. Meanwhile, rising temperatures are causing melting of the Himalayan glaciers feeding our river system, which is to make water issue more acute in the coming years. It is imperative, therefore, not to rely too much on hydel energy; greater attention ought to be on harnessing wind and solar power. Pakistan has immense potential for both. Several areas, especially in Sindh, are best suited for wind project while the sun shines the year-round almost all over the country. The increasing trend in many countries is towards solar as improvements in technology have reduced its cost. China has emerged as a leader in this field and is also making significant advancements in other technologies. Pakistan should benefit from the progress of its ‘iron brother’, and insist that all energy projects being established under the CPEC be based on solar or wind power.

As wind and solar are becoming more and more popular sources of energy, scientists are looking for other sustainable and affordable alternatives, such as tidal waves, geothermal energy, and magneto hydro dynamic to eliminate the challenge of global warming from greenhouse gas emissions. While Pakistan has started moving in the right direction opting for a combination of solutions, the goal must remain a completely green energy future.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021

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