Research has shown that electric cars are better for the environment.
They emit lesser greenhouse gases and air pollutants than petrol and diesel
cars. And this takes into account their production and electricity generation
to keep them running. They can improve air and the environment in towns and
cities. Pure electric cars do not produce any carbon dioxide emissions when
driving. This reduces air pollution considerably. According to the World Health
Organization’s guidelines, the air quality in Pakistan is considered unsafe-
the most recent data indicates the country’s annual mean concentration of PM 2.5
is 58 µg/m3, exceeding the recommended maximum of 10µg/m3. It is no wonder that
Pakistan wants to accelerate the use of Electric Vehicles. Pakistan is
converting 30% of vehicles to electric by 2030.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram,
informed the international community that Pakistan is working on a plan to
convert at least 30% of its road vehicles to electric cars by 2030. The
Ambassador was speaking at a virtual meeting of the Group of Friends on Climate
Change, in New York.
He said,
“If developing
countries are destitute, if there are humanitarian disasters, if we are unable
to recover from COVID, I think all other actions for many developing countries
will become irrelevant. So urgent and immediate actions are needed”.
Ambassador Akram urged the leading countries in the world to
fulfill their commitments on climate change, and the major emitters of harmful
gases to step forward and work towards the creation of a safer, cleaner
environment for all.
He said, “There are
positive indications, I agree, but I believe that these should be made much
clearer as we go forward, especially from the biggest country, the United
States. We look forward to what the new US administration will have to say in
the coming months.”
Urging the world’s leading nations to fulfill their pledge
for the hundred billion annual commitment on climate finance, Ambassador Akram
said, “I think for many developing
countries that will be an acid test.”
He said despite Pakistan being the smallest carbon emitter
in the world, it is the 5th most vulnerable country to climate
change. The Pakistani envoy stated, “We
have an extensive and ambitious plan, both on adaptation, [and] mitigation. We
are also a champion on financing investment in renewable energy, and we look
forward to playing that role as well.”
He highlighted the need for tangible progress on development
transfer and technology deployment in developing countries. Back in August,
Pakistan revealed its plan to increase the share of renewable energy by 4
percent, taking it to 30 percent by 2030.
Moreover, the Pakistani government is seeking help from the
neighboring country allied to the automobile industry. Furthermore, the
government is also considering other more realistic projects like ‘Green
Rickshaws’ and more.
In the first phase, the aim is to boost the share of
renewables in the power mix to 30 percent. Then by 2030, the target is to
increase the share of clean energy in its electricity mix to 65 percent. However,
the plan to construct seven more coal-fired power plants under the flagship
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project will be a major hurdle in the
achievement of this target.
BMW has introduced their top-of-the-line electric cars, the
i3 and the i8 in Pakistan. Nissan, Hyundai, Audi, and Renault are already in
talks with the Ministry of industries and production for producing locally
manufactured electric cars in the country. Audi has launched its e-Tron 50
Quattro in Pakistan in April 2020. Pakistan has already a significant market
for hybrid vehicles with Honda’s Vezel, Toyota’s Prius, and Aqua, and other
models seen on the roads.
