Clean energy critical for sustainable development of BRI countries

“Clean energy is critical for achieving sustainable development and is at the forefront of the global agenda. Technology plays a key role in promoting sustainability in many areas, including energy and sustainable industrial development.

Accordingly, a range of challenges in obtaining, adapting and effectively using industrial technologies and building capacity of the South in our region demands prompt solution,” Prof. Manzoor H. Soomro, President of ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF) highlighted on the two-day 5th BTBU-ECOSF Joint Training Program on Pathways for Industrial Decarbonization in the Belt and Road Countries (online) inaugurated today.

Prof. Manzoor believes it is very timely to discuss low carbon industrial development, as aggressive adoption of such technologies will be an essential prerequisite for Belt and Road countries to collectively move closer to the more ambitious target of reducing GHG emissions and containing the increase in temperature.

The impacts of climate change that are occurring with increasing severity and frequency are well aware. All nations are vulnerable, but developing countries are generally more vulnerable and less resilient with limited resources for both mitigation and adaptation. Prof. Manzoor stated this situation requires people to invest more in technologies to promote climate-smart solutions for the planet.

A successful transition towards low carbon development will depend heavily on fostering public-private partnerships that can accelerate deployment of technologies, promote research and development, and human resource skills development. Prof. Manzoor added that the critical challenge is to enable delivery of the national development visions and goals through low-carbon, climate-resilient or climate-compatible development plans and strategies, whereby the role of science and technology is overarching and gigantic.

On the occasion, Chinese experts, scholars and enterprise representatives introduced cutting-edge technologies and successful cases of carbon reduction and emission reduction in key industries to promote exchanges and mutual learning among the Belt and Road countries and jointly meet challenges.

Prof. Manzoor affirmed the insights of leading Chinese experts, the success stories and the elements behind the massive technological advances that China has made in achieving its climate targets. China announced in 2020 that it would achieve “carbon neutralization” by 2060, making outstanding contributions to the international response to climate change.

The training includes policies and practices for low-carbon transition in the coal power, cement, steel and chemical industries and other case studies. About 60 students from the Belt and Road countries participated in the training.

The president said that more such training would be very beneficial for the participants and the formation of major partnerships and linkages of the Belt and Road countries and the ECO Member States, including Pakistan, towards green growth technologies.

“Green CPEC Alliance launched early this month is indeed a meaningful initiative that will improve the environmental conditions around the projects and initiatives. This is a groundbreaking move for sustainable growth in Pakistan.” he concluded.