Senate Committee presses for stronger renewable energy and EV initiatives to combat climate crisis

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, led by Senator Sherry Rehman, convened to assess Pakistan’s climate strategy, focusing on electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, and water scarcity. Federal Minister for Power Sardar Owais Leghari and other stakeholders briefed the committee on progress and challenges.

Senator Rehman criticized Pakistan’s lagging EV production, noting that only 60,000 EVs have been produced against a 600,000 target. She also highlighted that the transport sector contributes 48% to air pollution, making EV adoption critical. The Ministry of Industries faced scrutiny for lacking data on local EV production and charging stations.

Pakistan aims to install 3,000 EV charging stations by 2030, but only eight have been established. While over 1,000 individuals have registered to set up new stations, Senator Rehman urged faster expansion. She also called on banks to introduce EV financing to enhance accessibility.

Despite 55% of Pakistan’s electricity now coming from renewables, the government aims to raise it to 60% by 2030 and 88% in the long term. Senator Rehman urged stronger incentives for solar, wind, and hydro energy investment. The closure of five costly, high-emission furnace oil power plants (2,500 MW capacity) was lauded for saving billions of rupees and reducing pollution.

Freshwater reserves are depleting rapidly, with Sindh and Balochistan already running dry. Senator Rehman stressed solar-powered irrigation as a solution, given the harmful effects of current drip irrigation systems.

Pakistan’s motorcycles and rickshaws emit 150kt of carbon annually. Minister Leghari emphasized plans to convert two- and three-wheelers, along with diesel vehicles, to electric.

Key recommendations included expanding EV charging stations and incentivizing private investment, promoting renewable energy adoption in homes and businesses, ramping up local EV production to meet policy targets, enforcing energy-efficient building codes nationwide, and encouraging energy-efficient transport and public transit use.

Senator Rehman reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to holding authorities accountable for climate action. The meeting included Senators Zarqa Soharwardy Timor, Manzoor Kakar, Naseema Ehsan, Shahzaib Durrani, and PM’s Coordinator for Environmental Change, Romina Khurshid Alam.