Pakistan aims to cut down the national carbon emissions by 50% by the year 2030, Malik Amin Aslam, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change, announced on Thursday
According to the PM’s aide, to reach the highly ambitious conditional target of its projected emissions, the country aims to shift to 60% renewable energy, and 30% electric vehicles by 2030. Imported coal will be completely banned.
The new target for the country’s future carbon emissions was set under the revised climate vision, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran khan approved the new climate vision on Oct. 13. The vision will be submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change ahead of the UN global climate conference, scheduled to start in Glasgow on Nov. 1, said Amin Aslam.
“Moreover, Pakistan seeks to expand nature-based solutions by the implementation of TBTTP, Recharge Pakistan, and Protected Areas Initiative (PAI). Pakistan’s emissions as per 2018 are 489.87 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) and Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP) and Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme will sequester CO2 around 500 MtCO2e by 2040 if implemented fully,” he said.
Aslam further claimed that Pakistan has already curbed emissions by 9%.
As a party to the Paris agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Pakistan government has played its role to support the global efforts in combating climate change.
“We are elated to submit an updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which is inclusive and represents national consensus to accelerating the transition to net-zero and a climate-resilient economy,” said the PM’s aide.
The decline in emissions is the result of a number of measures taken by the government in climate action, ranging from policy and programs on nature-based solutions to technology-based interventions, said Aslam.
Recognizing the role of nature in climate change, the Pakistan government developed “robust natural capital restoration efforts including Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (TBTTP), Protected Areas Initiative (PAI), etc.” These programs also served as a way to augment livelihood opportunities for women and youth, he added.
“Pakistan inspires the private sector to play a crucial role in implementing its climate ambition across sectors and the development of nature-based solutions that address Pakistan’s mitigation and adaptation potential,” Aslam said.