ISLAMABAD
The gap among policy makers, academia and industry needs to be bridged for smooth and efficient energy transition in Pakistan.
The experts from academia and research institutions said this while sharing their views with the participants at the webinar ‘Road to COP26: Role of Academia in Energy Transition of Pakistan,’ organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
Dean of Energy Department, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Dr Fiaz Chaudhry said what is missing in existing policies pertaining to the energy sector is the right planning to meet needs of the day. He said, “We need to modernise grids and develop human resources to respond to the new challenges in the sector.”
Prof Nadeem Ahmed Shaikh, Dean, Department of Mechanical Engineering, International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI), highlighted the importance of broader collaboration amongst the stakeholders in the energy sector and said that sustainability of the natural resources should also be evaluated. Besides, the local challenges in the energy sector are also imperative to be considered to develop rational policies, he added.
Elaborating on the importance of data regarding the energy sector in Pakistan, Dr Abdul Sattar Nizami, associate professor of Government College University Lahore, opined that to reduce the knowledge gap in the sector, the academia and policy makers should work together to simplify the knowledge. He said accurate data could play a critical role in policy making regarding energy transition in Pakistan.
Dr Muzzafar Ali, University of Engineering, and technology (UET) Taxila, highlighted the effective communication between all stakeholders including academia and government institutions should be focused upon for smooth energy transition in the country.
Dr Muhammad Farooq, associate professor, UET Taxila, was of view, “Our universities are producing large number of PhDs every year but we lack in evidence-based research to ascertain our real needs and challenges in energy sector.” He said that consultation with academia and industry should be ensured for energy sector policies.
Dr Sajid Amin, research fellow at SDPI, emphasised that local energy transition needs local solutions. Besides, countries like Pakistan that are facing economic challenges in the Covid-19 scenario, should be supported through measures such as debt-swap with the climate actions.
He said, “We also need climate financing, and it is important for the academia to come up with recommendations to be presented at COP-26 in this regard.” It would help developing countries like Pakistan to invest in green energy initiates as well, he added.
Ubaid-ur-Rehman, Research Associate, SDPI, earlier underpinned the importance of the role of academia for energy transition in Pakistan.
