“We do not expect the market to deliver green economy as internal stakeholders will design and initiate the milestone of green economy in Pakistan, said Shafqat Kakakhel, member BoG, SDPI.
Kakakhel was speaking on the concluding day of two-day ‘National Consultation on Green Economy’ jointly organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute, One UN Joint Programme on Environment, Ministry of Climate Change, Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) and Lead Pakistan here Saturday.
Eminent experts, officials, business representatives and members of civil society participated in the moot held ahead of a major global meeting on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro in June.
Kakakhel said that there should be a broad and flexible mechanism keeping in view the national priorities and expectations.
Eminent senior lawyer, Dr. Pervaiz Hassan, said that after 18th Amendment, policy makers should understand that legislation has to be enacted according to available capacities. Rafay Alam, Chairman LESCO, said that much of the capital was invested in the non-green part of the economy such as construction, industrialisation while nothing was put into the sustainable agriculture and green technologies.
Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, said: “We need to provide subsidies on agricultural inputs to benefit the farmers, increase production and eradicate food insecurity.”
Arif Alaudin, CEO, Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) stressed on providing level playing field to renewable energy sector, arguing that, huge subsidies were provided to inefficient and costly thermal power sector whereas renewable energy sector had not been given any subsidy per unit. He observed that renewable energy is the most attractive sector for foreign investors and foreign direct investment of around $3 billion is expected by 2013.
Nouman Rafiq, ECF, ENERCON, Imrana Tiwana, Lahore Conservation Society, Ali Shahbaz, Convener Youth Wing, Lahore, also spoke on the occasion.