Faiza Tehseen

Experts have called for a united approach to decarbonisation.

In an interview with WealthPK, Aijaz Nizamani, former conservator and ex-secretary of the Sindh Forests and Wildlife Department, said, “When fossil fuels started to burn about 200 years ago, carbon dioxide emissions became part of the atmosphere. “It disturbed the environmental cycles badly. Even if the carbon emissions are waved off today, the already existing carbon oxide in the atmosphere will take more than a hundred years to neutralise. So, there is need for a collective effort at all levels.” Aijaz said greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are frequently becoming a part of the atmosphere due to the resilience of fossil fuels. “Pakistan is frequently facing severe climatic impacts – floods, heatwaves, glacial melts, and droughts. Being an agricultural country, climate change is a serious threat to its agri-produce.” He said that investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and clean energy could decrease the climatic impacts.

“Proper policies needed to be adopted to speed up decarbonisation effort. Besides the environment, decarbonisation is going to be a great source of trade and business, and for this to happen, the government must frame enabling policies.” Aijaz said the government in collaboration with international organisations and groups should incentivise people to plant more and more trees to neutralise the GHG emissions. “Only an enabling mechanism can make this happen,” he stressed.  He maintained that large-scale plantations would lead to replenishing of water sources, increasing forest cover, preventing soil erosion, and reducing air pollution.  Talking to WealthPK, Dr Sobia Rose, an environmental research economist at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, said, “Decarbonisation requires transforming our production units to emit less carbon.

To achieve this, various sectors should be asked to lower GHG emissions by developing recycling corridors.” She said Pakistan is a developing country, where all the fuel production and transportation sources can’t be quickly phased out. However, she underscored that lifestyles could be changed into more eco-friendly practices. She called for speedy transition from fossil fuel-based energy production to hydropower, solar, wind and other green sources. Policymakers should focus on designing energy-efficient buildings and switching to electric vehicles. Sobia said the ministry of climate change should work together with relevant provincial departments like the forest and environment to achieve the target of decarbonisation.

Credit: INP-WealthPk