The Pakistani paper Dawn recently stated that this was “clearly not a natural phenomena”. The smog caused a number of road accidents that resulted in fatalities.
Qamar-uzZaman Chaudhry, former director-general of Pakistan’s Meteorological Office and now a specialist in international climate change at the Asian Development Bank, attributed the smog to the toxic car emissions and atmospheric pollutants from the coal-based industries in the neighboring Indian Punjab.
As dense smog enveloped the neighborhood of Lahore in November 2016, a road near the historic Badshahi Mosque was affected. FoxNews/Wikimedia, CC BY-NC
Imagine what will happen when Pakistan starts mining millions of tonnes of coal. This is partly due to Pakistan’s plan to open five new coal-fired power plants in 2018 as part of a new deal with China.
Smog will spread to cities and rural areas, including the Thar region, which extends into Pakistan and parts of India. Due to coal mining projects, the poor indigenous people in that area may have to relocate to another site, losing their livelihoods and villages.
Climate change is a global problem.
The burning of coal is not a local issue. Today it is evident that coal, which powered industrial revolution in the developed world, has also caused global climate change.
Greenpeace International claims that coal is our greatest climate threat. The emissions from coal burning fuel global warming. Coal mining also produces climate-warming gases such as methane.
Pakistan’s 0.43 percent of global greenhouse gas emission is a small fraction, but the country is one of the ten countries most vulnerable to climate change. Experts in the field of climate change believe that it is a greater threat than terrorism.
There are many problems facing the country, such as receding glaciers and heatwaves.
The agriculture sector, which accounts for 21% of Pakistan’s GDP, 60% exports, and 45% of its labour force, is especially vulnerable to climate changes.
China cuts coal investment at home, but not abroad
In the historic December 2015 Paris Agreement , 195 countries agreed that global warming should be kept “well below” 2degC. They also committed to keep the temperature rise to 1.5degC over pre-industrial levels.
has been ratified by 141 countries, including Pakistan and China, which are jointly responsible for 82% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.
the second largest economy in the world, and the world’s biggest coal consumer is China. It also has the highest coal-fired plant capacity.
has realized that the over-dependence of coal in China is causing severe air pollution, and other negative environmental effects. The latest data show reductions of coal use for a third consecutive year.
According to a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, China invested US$25 Billion in coal projects around the world between 2007 and 2015. The report criticizes China and other G20 nations for making such investments that are at odds with their climate pledges under the Paris Agreement.
The graph shows that some of the biggest polluters in the world have pledged to reduce climate-changing carbon emission within their borders while continuing to fund fossil fuel projects abroad.
This is exactly what happened in Pakistan. China became Pakistan’s partner for the development of new coal-fired power plants after most international financial institutions shifted away from coal.
According to the 2015 China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Initiative (CPEC), the Chinese government and banks plan to finance companies to invest US$27.6 Billion in energy and infrastructure in Pakistan in the next six-year period, with Pakistan contributing US$18.1 Billion. According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development, and Reform, coal-fired plants with a total capacity of 7,560 mW are being established as CPEC energy priority projects.
Under the pretense of providing energy, the investment will damage the air, water, public health, and the environment in Pakistan. Costs and lifespans for such coal projects may extend over many decades. This traps developing nations into a system of carbon-intensive energy use.
The Climate Analytics Author provided
The rapid use of coal, the “dirty” energy-generation alternative, has given many Chinese Cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, the worst air quality in the world.
The proposed Port Qasim Power Project in Pakistan, a 1320 mW coal power plant, is located near Karachi. Karachi has a population of 25 million. This could have devastating effects on air quality and the environment.
Location map for the Port Qasim Project in Karachi, Pakistan. Port Qasim Authority Pakistan/Wikimedia
Clean energy: Potential
No country should compromise its development. And development is dependent on energy. But as Jordan, Peru, and Mexico have shown, dirty energy is not required. Pakistan could instead use renewables to drive its development, namely solar energy.
The vast majority of Pakistan’s territory is semi-arid. This makes it an ideal location for harnessing solar power, with more sunny days than necessary per year.
Solar solutions are not only environmentally friendly, but they can also produce and consume energy at the same location. This makes them useful for remote areas without transmission infrastructure.
According to a recent study, the deployment and maintenance projects of renewable energy are likely to create more jobs with higher quality than coal.
The cost of renewables is declining rapidly around the world. In more than 30 developed and developing countries, solar and wind cost the same as or less than fossil fuel.
India’s energy Minister stated last year solar tariffs were cheaper than coal-based electricity, and India is advancing with its renewables plan.
China has also realized the potential economic benefits of being a leader in renewable energy sources. At the end of 2016, China’s solar energy capacity was 7,742 mW. This is double the 2015 level. In 2017, it became the largest solar power producer.
Lazard, an investment bank, believes that given the right infrastructure, prices are likely to continue to fall in the near future.