Zardari: Pakistan committed to low-carbon growth

ISLAMABAD:

President Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday that Pakistan, through its Nationally Determined Contribution and National Climate Change Policy, has committed to pursuing low-carbon development pathways while safeguarding economic growth and social well-being.

In a message marking the International Day of Clean Energy on January 26, the president said the day underscored the central role of clean, affordable and sustainable energy 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," the President Secretariat Media Wing, in a statement, quoted the president as saying.

He 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, 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.

The president further noted that 35 per cent of Pakistan's energy mix already comprised clean and renewable sources, adding that priority was being given to energy efficiency, conservation and sustainable resource management to advance SDG 7 and SDG 13.