Pakistan must confront the development challenge through getting “ahead of the curve” and “riding the waves” of upcoming Green Economy, urged Dr. Tariq Banuri, Director of the United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the Division for Sustainable Development. “Our task is to anticipate what the solution is and be ahead of that solution, not behind the solution”, he said.
Dr. Banuri was speaking at an event marking the 40th Anniversary of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) at the Best Western Hotel, in Islamabad on Monday.
Dr. Banuri noted that a number of Pakistan ’s neighbors are already putting the Green Economy at the centre of policy planning, including China and India , and urged that Pakistan should not be left behind in eradicating poverty through Green Economy growth. “We cannot live without growth and we won’t live long if we continue with this kind of growth”, Dr. Banuri said, referring to environmental catastrophe that awaits the globe if carbon emissions are not dramatically reduced.
Highlighting the fundamental contradiction between growth and environmental protection, Dr. Banuri singled out energy as a key issue for Pakistan ’s future: “No matter what we do, development needs more energy. We will have to multiply our energy access by a factor of maybe five, three or four.” But while pointing to looming environmental catastrophe linked to Pakistan and the world’s fossil fuel dependence, Dr. Banuri noted that, thanks to Chinese production, renewable energy costs are sharply reducing: “Look at solar; in 2005 solar power cost $5 per watt to harvest; now it’s $1.20. If it comes down to 40 cents then we’re in business”.
Dr. Banuri argued that the Green Economy is an emerging trend in internalizing the environmental costs of economic activity. Through taxes, subsidies and other measures undertaken by the “development state”, Pakistan can achieve the 6-8% sustained growth that it needs to “win the race of development” without destroying the environment.
Dr. Banuri recommended policy makers to “invest in the development state”, that could eradicate poverty by seizing the opportunity of fostering sustainable development through the upcoming Green Economy wave: “Governance is very important”, he said. He urged that there is need to take stock of the three crucial challenges faced by developing countries; these are the environment, inequality and food security
Nadeem Ul-Haq, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Pakistan noted that failure of both the development state of an active policy community in Pakistan could help link policy to growth. He noted the youthful demographics of Pakistan and the failure of the state in achieving inclusive development for this portion of society: “terrorism is one signal they’re sending”, he said.
He explained that crucial to development in Pakistan , the paradigm of land reform must be reconsidered. Land ownership has become fragmented in most of the country, he said, and new solutions must be sought in confronting a changed paradigm.
The lecture had been introduced by Dr. Abid Q. Suleri, Executive Direct of Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), and Dr. Stephen McGurk, Regional Director of the International Development Research Centre, Regional Office for South Asia and China in Delhi also spoke.
By way of introduction, Dr. McGurk had traced the work of Canada ’s overseas development assistance program in supporting and relying on Southern scientists and researchers in forging the link between development research and development policy. Dr. McGurk congratulated SDPI on being awarded core funding by the Canada ’s International Development Research Centre.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
