Adding to carbon emission

In Paris, there is an epic struggle to persuade the nations of the world to work together to battle climate change, and in particular to keep global warming at or below the two degrees that is the tipping point as far as potential global catastrophe is concerned. In New Delhi, as of December 7, private cars will be regulated by a system based on number plates — ‘odd’ and ‘even’ days — in an attempt to reduce pollution. Beijing has an appalling problem with smog and poor air quality — and anywhere one may care to look in the developing world where coal-fired power stations are proliferating, there is a significant pollution and carbon emission problem. Pakistan has just decided to add to that, for good or ill. Aside from what coal-fired power may do in terms of expanding the carbon footprint, the long-term health implications, in a country with notoriously poor public health services, almost beggars belief.

As the rest of the world moves towards cleaner and renewable energy generation, Pakistan (as well as India) is looking towards an energy generation future powered by coal. Thus far, the developments of sources powered by renewables have been small in Pakistan, in part because of the capital expenditure to get renewable sources up and running economically and efficiently. Pakistan sits on coal, much of it of poor quality, and it remains the cheapest source of power generation everywhere. The country derives two-thirds of its energy needs from oil and gas, much of it imported and subject to price fluctuations. Local coal provides price consistency, and the argument that in real terms, the increase in our contribution to global carbon emissions is almost negligible is a powerful driver. Pakistan has a 25-member team at the Paris Climate Summit, but as with other developing nations, local imperatives may outweigh global goals. The aim is to add 8,100 megawatts of coal power to the system, roughly 40 per cent of generation capacity. Delhi and Beijing are literally choking on the cost of coal-powered development, and Pakistan may find itself coughing in their wake.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th,  2015.

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