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.
