Cleaner, Safer, and Sustainable: Decarbonizing Pakistan’s Energy Future

April 30, 2023
By Nadir Ali


Pakistan’s energy progress is a complicated and diverse issue that requires a far-reaching decarbonization system to accomplish maintainable improvement objectives. Decarbonization alludes to the decrease of fossil fuel byproducts from different sources, including the energy sector, to moderate the antagonistic effects of environmental change. Lately, Pakistan has made some headway towards decreasing its carbon footprint by expanding the portion of sustainable power in its energy blend. Nonetheless, the country’s heavy reliance on petroleum derivatives, especially coal, keeps on representing a critical test for decarbonization endeavors.

Regarding the urgent issues of environmental sustainability and public health, Pakistan’s decarbonization of its energy future is an admirable endeavor. Through the use of greener and safer energy technologies, the initiative recognizes the need to lessen the nation’s carbon footprint, increase the security of its energy supply, and foster economic growth. The capacity to send state-of-the-art innovations at scale, the accessibility of subsidizing, and the political will to institute complete strategy changes are only a couple of the factors that will decide if this try is fruitful or not.

Knowing how intensely politicized the energy industry is, political players frequently put short-term advantages ahead of long-term sustainability. This has led to inconsistent policy, which deters investment in renewable energy through frequent changes in energy rates and subsidies. Political will and commitment to a sustainable energy transition are required to address this issue. Combining policy and technology solutions is necessary for creative decarbonization strategies for Pakistan’s energy industry. Adopting distributed renewable energy systems, such as micro-grids and solar home systems, is one such strategy that can give remote and off-grid communities reliable and affordable energy access. Similarly, the change to a low-carbon energy framework might come at a huge social and monetary cost, like the deficiency of occupations in the traditional energy industry and the necessity for sizable foundation ventures.

To address these difficulties, policymakers ought to embrace a multi-pronged methodology that consolidates aggressive focuses on sustainable power transmission, vigorous administrative structures, and inventive supporting systems. Similarly, more prominent consideration ought to be paid to the job of energy proficiency in diminishing fossil fuel byproducts, as well as the potential for decentralized energy frameworks to upgrade energy security and advance social value. Especially flammable gas and oil, which account for more than 70% of the nation’s energy production, are heavily reliant on petroleum derivatives in Pakistan’s energy mix. This dependence on petroleum products isn’t economical, given the limited value of these assets and the unfavorable impacts of fossil fuel byproducts on the climate. Hence, the decarbonization of Pakistan’s energy area requires a shift towards environmentally friendly power sources, for example, solar, wind, and hydropower.

By 2030, the government wants to have 30% of the nation’s electricity come from renewable sources. The lack of infrastructure investment in renewable energy sources and the high cost of renewable energy technologies are two obstacles that must still be overcome before this goal can be met. By doing so, a stable and dependable power supply can be ensured, and the intermittent nature of renewable energy can be overcome. Additionally, by providing tax breaks and other financial incentives, the government must encourage the private sector to invest in renewable energy projects. This will speed up the decarbonization process and increase investment in the renewable energy sector.

Pakistan must implement a sophisticated decarbonization strategy that combines financial, administrative, and innovative interventions in order to address this challenge. The administrative measures could incorporate setting emanation norms for different ventures and forcing punishments for resistance. This approach would encourage businesses to move towards cleaner advancements, diminishing their carbon footprint. Also, the monetary measures could incorporate giving sponsorships and duty incentives to ventures that embrace clean advancements and practices. This would work with the reception of sustainable power sources and speed up the change towards a low-carbon economy.

Simultaneously, the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to capture and store the byproducts of fossil fuels from coal-fired power plants could also be incorporated into the creative solutions. Byproducts of coal-based energy production, one of the main contributors to Pakistan’s carbon footprint, could be reduced with the help of this strategy. The effective execution of these actions requires will, powerful institutional instruments, and satisfactory monetary assets. Consequently, it is basic for the public authority, confidential area, and common society to team up and pursue a shared objective of accomplishing economic improvement through decarbonization.