ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari Sunday said through Nationally Determined Contribution and the National Climate Change Policy, Pakistan had committed to pursuing low carbon development pathways while protecting economic growth and social well-being.
In a message on the observance of the International Day of Clean Energy on January 26, he said the day reminded the central role that clean, affordable and sustainable energy played in inclusive development, energy security and the global response to climate change.
“Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. For this reason, the Government of Pakistan has placed the transition to clean energy at the heart of its climate and development agenda. Under its commitments to the UNFCCC, as reflected in the Nationally Determined Contributions 2025, Pakistan has set the target of 30 per cent electric vehicles by 2030,” President Secretariat Media Wing, in a press release, quoted the president as saying.
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The president observed that air pollution had become a harsh and recurring reality for their people, adding each year, dense smog and fog led to serious traffic accidents, flight cancellations, and disruption of train services and closure of motorways. “Schools are forced to shut, businesses lose valuable opportunities, and hospitals receive patients struggling to breathe clean air. While air purifiers have become common in affluent households, millions of citizens remain exposed to hazardous conditions, highlighting the deep social and economic cost of polluted air,” he said.
President Zardari further said Pakistan’s energy mix already included 35 per cent clean and renewable energy. To advance SDG 7 and SDG 13, they were giving priority to energy efficiency, conservation and sustainable resource management.
This transition was being supported through policy reforms, modernization of energy infrastructure, deployment of renewable technologies and stronger institutional coordination. The shift to clean energy was not only an environmental necessity but also an opportunity for economic growth, job creation and technological progress, he added.
By encouraging innovation, mobilizing investment and strengthening institutional capacity, the president said Pakistan aimed to build an energy system that is reliable, affordable, resilient and sustainable for all citizens.
“Let us reaffirm our resolve not only to build a climate resilient, low carbon and energy secure Pakistan, but also, as a responsible member of the global community, to support the development and adoption of technologies that sustain and improve our planet, and to move away from those that threaten its very existence,” he stressed.
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