Pakistan must more than double its economic growth rate and invest in sustainable energy to improve its citizens' standards of living, says the country's president.
"We are an example of the world's energy crisis," Asif Ali Zardari told an international audience at Abu Dhabi's World Future Energy Summit yesterday. "We face drought, we face massive food shortages and potential starvation."
Achieving such ambitions will be a challenge in Pakistan, which is still recovering from last summer's monsoon floods that at one point put one fifth of its land under water and displaced 2 million people. Damage to its economy has been estimated at up US$43 billion (Dh157.93bn).
Developing sustainable energy will be crucial for Pakistan as it tries to rebuild its economy in the face of earthquakes and flooding.
"We have assaulted the balance of nature," Mr Zardari said. "The cost to produce the energy was sometimes more than the cost of the energy it would produce."
Pakistan relies on a mix of fossil fuels, nuclear power and hydroelectricity. It needs to reform its electricity industry by slashing subsidies that increase its budget deficit, the IMF said in a report published after the floods.
Peak summer electricity demand is expected to hit 41,132 megawatts within a decade, and estimated production levels will cover only three quarters of that, according to government figures.
Mr Zardari blamed today's climate change issues on aggressive energy growth that has "led to hunger and instability in the poorer countries".
The IMF has projected that Pakistan's GDP growth will hit 2.75 per cent this year, far short of Mr Zardari's goal. Growth was as high as 6.6 per cent in 2007, but in 2009 it plummeted to 2.7 per cent.
Mr Zardari, whose country relies heavily on agriculture, urged political and business leaders at the summit to focus on cleaner agriculture practices such as organic fertilisers made from algae in addition to clean energy.
[ ayee@thenational.ae ]
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Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
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COMPANY PROFILE
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From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.