Daily Times

A problem is interconnected with two things, a symptom and a cause. The symptom is the presence of an undesirable state or situation that is indicative of the presence of the problem.

Without the appearance of symptoms, the existence of the problem does not become apparent, i.e. the asymptomatic state. However, treating the symptoms does not make the problem go away. It may provide short-term relief, but as long as the cause of the problem exists, the problem will not go away. The same logic applies to the problem of environmental unsustainability in Pakistan. The problems of environmental degradation and natural resource degeneration have plagued our country for the past many decades. Unfortunately, the majority of the policies and practices to achieve environmental sustainability have been targeted towards symptom alleviation rather than cause elimination. Unless we treat the causes, the problem will continue to worsen.

Environmentally unsustainable industrial activities are one of the leading causes of pollution and resource degeneration in Pakistan. Globally, the construction sector accounts for approx.

28% of energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions and excessive unethical usage of various natural resources such as water in a country. It is interconnected with several other polluting industries such as brick, cement, glass, and other related manufacturing units. A country’s construction sector is considered to be one of the primary sources of its economic growth and sustainability. Based on this premise, it is proposed that the country’s green construction sector can be the key towards the development of a green economy and environmental sustainability.

The construction industry is one of the largest contributors to Pakistan’s economy by accounting for 2.5% of the country’s GDP and bringing in approximately US$ 386.8 million of net foreign direct investments during 2018-19. Almost 8% of the total labor force in Pakistan is associated with this industry. The construction schemes, such as the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme and the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project, launched by the prime minister may play a role in Pakistan’s economic sustainability. Unfortunately, the environmental sustainability aspect has been largely ignored in these projects. The development of green construction industry requires green building materials such as bricks manufactured from zig-zag technology, green cement, green logistics, renewable energy generation, green consultants, green developers and construction companies, green architectural firms, and other eco-friendly products and services. Unfortunately, such green products and services are almost non-existent in Pakistan.

Pakistan is severely lagging in the development of the green industrial sectors, respective regulatory reforms, green consumer demand, green consultants and green industrial best practices. Green construction will prove beneficial for all the concerned stakeholders in Pakistan.

The Government of Pakistan should develop all the construction projects as green projects, through collaboration with various green building certification awarding bodies such as EDGE, LEED, NESPAK, NEECA-Pakistan, etc. These bodies can foster the development of various green capabilities required for construction of affordable green residential units in Pakistan. It will, in turn, accelerate the demand for other green products and services, laying down the foundations for the development of a green economy. Greening of the construction industry can act as an elixir that can inject environmental sustainability into various industrial sectors of Pakistan. Recently, the Prime Minister of Pakistan has inaugurated the Eco-tourism initiative ‘TREK’, which is also strongly connected with the need for the development of the country’s green construction sector. Development of Eco-tourism is not possible without Green Hospitality industry, green infrastructure and waste management systems. It goes without saying that if the Government of Pakistan wants environmental sustainability, then all the future projects such as airports, hospitals, banks, schools, universities, commercial buildings and residential units should be based on green management standards.

The government can boost the green construction industry through tax incentives, concession on green building map approval fees and other charges, and establishment of special green building/house counter to facilitate the eco-conscious clients. It can make it mandatory to include tree plantation in the approved map according to the size of the constructed building and make sure that the planted trees are the ones that need less water to survive. Synergy is the key to the development of a green economy and another sector, that can play an essential part in this regard, is Pakistan’s banking industry. Green Banking can play an important role in the successful journey of green construction industry development in Pakistan. Through the provision of green construction finance, Pakistani banking industry can provide low interest rates or other incentives to promote green and affordable housing projects under the umbrella of green banking. Pakistan is severely lagging in the development of the green industrial sectors, respective regulatory reforms, green consumer demand, green consultants and green industrial best practices. Green construction will prove beneficial for all the concerned stakeholders in Pakistan. Focusing on the development of green construction and green banking can take us closer to the Clean, Green, and Environmentally Sustainable Pakistan, our future generations deserve.

Syed Asim Ali Bukhari is working as a Green Banking and is also pursuing a PhD in Green Banking from the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia.