ENVIRONMENT

 Pakistan already among the top 10 nations most affected by climate

change in spite of its negligible (0.8pc.)contribution to gas emissions.
 UN says emissions must fall nearly seven percent (7%) this decade in
order to keep the Paris climate deal’s temperature goals in play.
 Reseacrh by UN Environment Programme and Oxford University 
out of 14.6 trillion dollars spent for Covid-19 recovery ,just 368 billion
(2.5 pc) was ear marked for green projects.
 Climate Deniers  According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers Annual
Global CEO Survey for 2021,published in Dawn on March 13 shows
that out of 10 major challenges facing the growth of organization, 5,050
CEOs in 100 countries ranked climate change 9 out of 10.
 UN has declared 2021-2030 to be the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.
 It is a well known fact that Earth’s ecosystems are in a race against
time.
 Man feeds off nature , but its relationship with nature has now become
parasitic.
 Earth’s average global temperature has already gone up 1.2C compared
to pre-industrial levels. In order to limit the global temperature to 1.5 C,
the world needs to reduce the carbon emissions to half by 2030 and net
zero by 2050.
 Report by Intergovrnmental Panel on Climate Change (2021):
o Climate change will fundamentally reshape life on the planet in
the coming decades, even if humnas can tame planet-warming
greenhouse gas emissions.
o Species extinction , more widespread disease, extreme heat,
ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas
The choice societies make now will determine whether our species
thrives or simply survives as the 21st century unfolds.
o Humanity is sowing the seeds of its own demise.
o With 1.1 degrees Celsius of global warming , the climate is
already changing.
 o 2015 Paris Climate Accord,adopted by nearly 200 nations, has
vowed to collectively cap warming at well-below two degrees
Celsius-and 1.5 degrees if possible.
 As a result of such activities, habitats are degraded, animals and plants
are becoming extinct, and entire ecosystems such as the Australian
Great Barrier Reef (UN has said that Great Barrier Reef should be
listed as “in danger” . This is a consequence of Australia’s on fossil
fuels. Australia is also world’s one of the biggest carbon emitters per
capita ) and the Amazon rainforest might be destroyed.- Yuval Noah
Harari in 21 Lessons for 21st Century.
 Human species is behaving as ecological mass murderer.
 When it comes to climate, countries are just not sovereign. They are at
the mercy of actions taken by people on the other side of the planet.
 Global warming, in contrast, will probably have a different impact on
different nations. Some countries, most notably Russia, might actually
benefit from it. Russia has relatively few coastline assets, hence it is far
less worried than China or Kiribati about rising sea levels. And whereas
higher temperatures are likely to turn Chad into a desert, they might
simultaneously turn Siberia into the breadbasket of the world.
 Similarly, replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources is likely
to appeal to some countries more than to others. China, Japan and
South Korea depend on importing huge quantities of oil and gas. They
will be delighted to be free of that burden. Russia, Iran and Saudi
Arabia depend on exporting oil and gas. Their economies will collapse if
oil and gas suddenly give way to solar and wind.
 There is no national answer to the problem of global warming,
 If, fifty or seventy years from now, the polar ice caps melt and parts of New
York and London lie under water, along with some island nations in their
entirety, it will be too late to reverse course. Even if we quickly reduced our
emissions, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases would be
reduced only very, very slowly. This is why we need to start planning and
acting now: it is far better to plan for the worst-case scenario than to wait
and find that we didn't do enough. Joseph Stiglitz in Making Globalization
Work.
 Degradation of forests and lands is threatening global development,
food security , and peace as congested and polluted urban spaces pose
serious health and economic risks.
 “As cities lose their vegetation and encroach into forests that surround
them, they become more vulnerable to floods, which Pakistan is all too
familiar with”. IK
 CONTOURS OF CLILMATE CHANGE IN PAKISTAN
 Temperature in Pakistan is increasing by one degree Celsius on
an annual basis. (Special assistant to Pm on environment and
Climate change Malik Amin Aslam)
 46 pc of Pakistan’s total emissions is coming from burning fossil
fuels.
 From 1994, Pakistan’s carbon emissions increased by 123pc in
2015. These emissions are projected to increase by about 300pc by
2030. Energy and agricultural sectors account for 90pc of total
emissions. But Pakistan can reduce up to 20pc of its 2030 GHG
emissions with some hand holding(to the tune of $40 million) by
decarbonizing transport and agriculture sectors.
 59pc below the normal rainfall countrywide in January 2021
 Higher temperatures than the global average.
 Glacier melts
 Devastating floods in some regions
 Drought in others. > Baluchistan where tens and thousands of
farmers have lost livelihoods due to frequent droughts.
 Reasons of drought in Baluchistan
 Due to very less rains and snowfall during this
year’s winter season.
 Steps being taken by Govt
 100 million trees would be planted under the
Green and Clean Pakistan project.
 Special funds for two national parks in
Hazaraganji and Harboi area of Kalat district.
 Construction of new dams to store rainwater to
avoid drought like situation
  Provision of Sui gas or LPG to protect Juniper
forests.
 Underground water recharge project
 Mechanism for soild and liquid waste
management .
 ROADMAP FOR DECARBONISATION IN PAKISTAN
 Ali Touqeer Seikh –Feb 20,2021
 In his speech at the UN hosted Climate Ambition Summit , Imran
Khan declared :
1. Pak will generate 60pc of its energy from renewable sources.
2. Ensure that 30pc of its vehicles will be electric vehicles (EV)
3. Pak will no longer pursue coal power plants.
 China, the USA, the UK and the EU have elevated climate change as
national security threat, made it a central plank of foreign policy,
and investments in decarbonizing their economies.
 China and USA have agreed to delink their cooperation on climate from
their otherwise complex relations marred by the future of Hong Kong,
human rights and trade disputes.
 Transport emits around 23pc CO2 contributing to global warming. It will
reach 40pc by 2030 and 60pc by 2050.
 Carbonization > higher economic growth rate can be achieved without
proportionately increasing carbon emissions.
 Reducing carbon emissions
1. Attracts private sector investment
2. Accelerates economic growth  Mind-boggling green jobs in India
and China
3. Promotes startups and entrepreneurs

1. HOW CAN PAKISTAN TRAVERSE ITS JORNEY TOWARDS

DECARBONISATION?
 Substantially increase the share of renewable energy > will reduce
the role of IPPSs(independent power producers)> will fix the issues
of mounting circular debts and carbon emissions.
  It can be achieved by shedding the state-led monopolistic model in
favour of an open competitive, multiplayer market led by private
sector.
 Should use close ties with China to decarbonize faster. (China’s EV
market is bigger than American and Japanese market combined.)
 Speed up charging infrastructure. + A chain of collection points to
pick up charged batteries along the highways
 Models for rural electrification and universal energy access.
 Promoting electric mobility, including railways. (India has started
its commercial run.)In the absence of efficient rail network, country’s
dependence on private transport rises. Pakistan is already second
worst-polluted country in terms of air pollution, and it is also the
second-most rapidly urbanizing country in South Asia. This means
that use of transport is bound to increase.

 US > The world’s largest economy + second largest emitter of

greenhouse gases is back in Paris climate accord > aimed at confronting
planet’s rising temperatures. Have pledged to achieve net zero
emissions(Net zero or carbon neutrality means that the amount of CO2
produced by a country is balanced by the amount removed from the
atmosphere.” According to (Inter Governmnetal panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 C, global
net CO2 emissions should decline by about 45% by 2030, reaching net
zero by 2050.)
 China being the second largest emitter has pledged to achieve net zero
emissions by 2060. India is third. Collectively E.U is third. Pakistan’s
contribution to the climate crisis is negligible at just 0.8pc.
 “We can no longer delay or do bare minimum to address climate
change. This is a global existential crisis. We will all suffer
consequences.” ( Biden)
 These examples show that the international community has been able, in the
past, to respond to the challenge posed by a threat to the global environment.
In 1946, in response to concerns that whales would become extinct, the
Inter-national Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was signed. The
 agreement held, despite protests, and whale populations have largely
recovered. Another agreement involved chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs),
commonly used as refrigerator and air-conditioner coolants, which, it was
found, were destroying the ozone layer and allowing cancer-inducing
ultraviolet radiation to penetrate the atmosphere. The international
community's reaction was swift. It took little more than a decade between
the discovery of the problem and the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal
Protocol. The convention was successful, and the phase-out of CFCs
occurred faster than anticipated.
 Carrot and stick formula for industries

 AIR POLLUTION IN PAISTAN

 Sakib Sherani Feb26.
 According to the rankings compiled by IQAir, Pakistan was world’s second
most polluted country in the world for both 2018 as well 2019 with air
quality of PM2.5 characterized as “unhealthy” > Seven times higher than the
WHO’s standards for healthy air.
 HARMS OF AIR POLLUTION
 According to WHO :
 Increases the risk of respiratory infections > Increases chances
of childhood asthma by 16pc
 Heart diseases and lung cancer > Heart attacks by 44pc +
Chances of lung cancer by 36pc
 Life expectancy reduces by one year and seven months.
 Costs $5.7 trillion to world economy as a result of health
damage
 WAY FORWARD
 Clean-air legislation, greater enforcement.
 Measures to reduce carbon emissions > kp’s billion tree tsunami +
the Punjab afforestation programme Two flagship programs of
PTI to combat climate change.
  Renewable energy + cleaner fuels in transportation and energy
generation. (46 pc of Pakistan’s total emissions is coming from
burning fossil fuels. + Energy and agricultural sectors account
for 90pc of total emissions.)
 Subsidy or grants for adoption of the above.
 Carbon tax levied on motor fuels, vehicle purchase, and polluter
industries.
 Green tax on every liter of motor fuels > transfer to provinces under
NFC Award.
 New regulatory framework should be formulated to achieve CO2
emissions at the level of district administration to reduce CO2
emissions.
 SOURCES
 Polluting fuels and vehicles. (46 pc of Pakistan’s total emissions is
coming from burning fossil fuels. + Energy and agricultural sectors
account for 90pc of total emissions.)
 Inefficient combustion of household fuels for cooking, lightening and
heating.
 Coal-fired power plants.
 Agriculture and waste burning
 Agriculture is the second largest sector after energy, contributing 43
per cent of greenhouse gas emissions caused by use of fossil-intensive
fertilizers and land use change.

 SINGAPOR
 Floating solar farms to cut greenhouse gas emissions. This will lead
to a reduction in carbon emissions equivalent to removing 7,000 cars
from the roads.
 BHUTTAN
 Floating cities
 GENERAL CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE / GLOBAL
WARMING/ENVIRONMENT CRISIS
 DEPLETING RAINFORESTS
  According to RAINFOREST FOUNDATION NORWAY ,
rainforest cover equal to a football field is lost every six seconds; two-
thirds of the world’s original rainforest cover has already been
destroyed ( Dawn March 14)
 Total loss of rainforest cover between 2002 and 2019 was greater than
the area of France. (same)  biggest impact has been felt in Brazil
 When economies produce more, they pollute more.
 GENERAL SOLUTIONS
 URBAN FORESTATION
 Integrate urban forestation in the larger urban planning.
o More Urban green spaces
 Benefits  green cover acts as carbon sinks ;
acts as wildlife habitat ; helps reduce the
harmful impacts of urban flooding and extreme
heat events (Impact of Karachi floods could have
been far less had it already been accomplished
because urban green cover serves as a natural
drainage basin)
 Establish national parks
 Mechanism for solid and liquid waste management.
 In a piece IK wrote for CNN on the World Environment Day:
o Pakistan > working with international creditors on debt
for nature swap deal , which links financial relief to
improvement in country’s environment. > Imran Khan
o Pak also floated the country’s first green bond,
amounting to 500 million, which was well received in
glibal warming.
o Endorsing UN decade on ecosystems, Pak is already
working on expanding and restoring its forests, having
already planned one billion trees and mangroves as part
of its 10 billion tree drive. World’s only country with an
expanding mangrove cover. (increased 300 per cent over
last decade)
 o During the first phase of Bonn challenge, Pak pledged to
restore 865,00 acres of degraded landscape in KPK-a
target already passed.
o And voluntarily pledge under Bonn conference for
restoring further 2.5 million acres of degraded land
across country by 2030.
o “What I stre for Pakistan is true for world at alarge”.
 WATER SCARCITY
 Climate change is causing a seasonal water deficit of 4pc to 28pc
every year by Irsa (Indus River Water Treaty : Among provinces)
 Indus Water Treaty: Between India and Pakistan.
o Permanent Commission on Indus Water .
 Pakistan has objections on Pakul Dul Dam and Lower Kalnai dam on
Chenab river.
 According to water and Power development authority , the water level in the
country’s two major reservoirs – tarbela and Mangla—has declined further
due to climate change and dry weather.
 CAUSES OF WATER INSECURITY
 Growing population
 Urbanization ory of elite capture because
 Climate change
 SUGGESTIONS TO SOLVE PAKISTAN’S WATER PROBLEMS
 Important key to enhance water security lies in ensuring equitable
benefit sharing.(EBS) among water stakeholder.
 FIXING AGRICULTURAL PROBLEMS WILL GREATLY
RESOLVE WATER ISSUES :
o It consumes almost 95% Pakistan’s total water while 224
million citizens and every industrial and commercial
water use combined barely consume 5%.
 o Only four crops(rice, wheat, sugarcan and cotton)
consume 80% water but contribute a pittance to GDP-
5%  This poor management costs about 4pc of GDP or
around 12 billion a year.
o No cot benefit analysis.
o It is a story of elite capture because government gives
subsidies to mostly rich farmers on nominal costs
o 85million(44pc) await access to clean drinking water.
 ISSUE OF INTER PROVINCIAL FLOWS
o During the last 80 years, water flow to the lower Indis Basin
has declined by over 80 %.,resulting in a permanent crisis in
agriculture and steadily increasing seawater intrusion.
o Sindh cries for more equitable water sharing .
o Sindh govt is demanding permanent closure of the Chashm-
Jehlum link canal,abandoning the construction of Taumsa
Panjnad link canal and revisiting Irsa’s mandate to curtail
irrigation authority’s role.
o The annual filling and release from ManglaDam has become
politicized and needs an agreement on transparent mechanisms.
 INDUS WATER TREATY
o Pakistan has objections on Pakul Dul Dam and Lower Kalnai
dam on Chenab river.
o For comparison , the design of Great Ethiopian Renaissance
Dam over the Nile was revised several times, sometimes on the
suggestion of Egypt, the lower riparian
o The Turkish-Armenian case offers a pertinent example whereby
a dam was jointly constructed on the Arpacay/Akhuryan River.
The two co-riparians do not even have diplomatic relations but
share transboundary waters equitably through a permanent
water commission and its working groups.
o Should exchange data,technical studies,GIS and satellite
imagery.
 o Jointly develop a transboundary water framework based on EU
Water Statement , Bonn Guidelines, UN Water Course
Convention.
 GENERAL SUGGESTIONS
 The global community should make coal more expensive to import.