ISLAMABAD: Speakers on Tuesday said promotion of renewable energy was necessary to reduce industrial production and curb carbon emissions.

They were speaking at a session titled ‘Role of Textile Industry in Strengthening Climate Action in Pakistan’ on the second day of the Sustainable Development Conference organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change.

Chief Operating Officer, Younas Textiles, Mohammad Nisar Palla said they were producing 40 per cent electricity on self-help basis for their own use through four wind-turbines and solar panels.

He said the textile industry was playing an important role in the country’s economy, therefore it should be facilitated.

K-Electric has signed two MOUs with private solar firms – one of 240 megawatts and the other 150 megawatts, he said, adding that no capacity charges were involved and green efficient cheap electricity was being produced.

He said they had been working on seven different sources of green energy for the last seven years.

Mr Palla said if the industry was allowed to install solar power, it would reduce production costs as well as carbon emissions.

Asad Naqvi from UNEP-Geneva said if Pakistan wanted to compete internationally, it would have to reduce its per unit cost of electricity and use recyclable material.

He said the textile industry globally would grow to 3.3 trillion dollars by 2030.

“Cost of production will determine how competitive you are in the global markets, and that would apply to the textile market as well,” Mr Naqvi said.

He further said there was a need to work on trade and labour policies.

Ahmed Qazi from the European Union (EU) Delegation to Pakistan said if we get into a discussion on who was producing more pollution, we would not be able to come up with a solution. Therefore, we need to work on ways to reduce pollution, he added.

Mr Qazi said any product that was brought into the European Union would undergo environmental checks, warning that any industry that failed to comply with environmental protocols would not be allowed to trade with the EU.

He said EU was not only helping Pakistan in curbing carbon emissions, but also other countries affected by it, adding that climate change was not restricted to Pakistan alone.

He said at present, no province in Pakistan had been spared by climate change.

Senior Joint Secretary, Climate Change Ministry, Mohammad Farooq said we needed investment for decarbonization, therefore public-private partnership was required, whether in textile, transport, or agriculture.

He said all sectors, including textile, should play a role in containing carbon and bring down 43 per cent carbon emission in the coming years.

He also stressed working on policy and regulatory mechanisms for green energy, adding that work on climate change is not only being undertaken by the ministry concerned but also the finance and other relevant ministries.

He said as compared to developed countries, Pakistan’s carbon contribution per capita was less, but the country was still facing its effects.

In his closing remarks, SDPI Executive Director Abid Suleri said that industries should have to work themselves to limit climate change effects and not wait for the government to take measures.

In this way, the industries’ production would be cost effective, but also reduce pollution, he said.

Dr Suleri said the SDPI was giving its input on industrial policy and would play a role in research and policy.