CONTRIBUTORS IN ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION

 

The relationships between pollution and economic development are complex with several possible feedback loops that are predicated on drivers and consequences of economic growth, ecosystem resilience and the ultimate reliance of financial capital on nature. The aim to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is an opportunity to revise and organize the debates between pollution and economic development. Each year more than 30 giga-tons of CO2 are released into the Earth’s atmosphere: this is the main source of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The largest part of these gases comes from the use of fossil fuels, the generation of energy through non-renewable channels and polluting human activities.

The last report of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) pointed out that during the last year recorded (2020), the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere broke another record, despite a drop in fossil fuel emissions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, the concentration reached 413 parts per million (ppm) in 2020, 149% more than pre-industrial levels (before 1750).

MAJOR SECTORS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING IN ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION

1. Energy (Electricity and Heating): 15.83 billion tons.

2. Transport: 8.43 billion tons.

3. Manufacturing and construction: 6.3 billion tons.

4. Agriculture: 5.79 billion tons.

5. Food retail: 3.1 billion tons.

6. Fashion: 2.1 billion tons.

7. Technology: 1.02 billion tons.

Energy

Energy is at the heart of the climate challenge – and key to the solution. A large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and heat.

Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. 

About 76.1% of total Pakistan's CO2eq emissions come from the energy industries, with the largest proportion among the greenhouse gas.

The science is clear: to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, emissions need to be reduced by almost half by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.To achieve this, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable.

Transport:

Mobility has an indispensable role in society and the economy. An efficient and accessible transport system is essential for the quality of life of citizens and for planetary health.

However, this sector remains one of the biggest environmental challenges that we are facing.

In fact, transport is responsible for 24 % of direct carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions due to the burning of fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), with three-quarters of these emissions being produced by road vehicles.

The energy mix is heavily skewed towards conventional sources as 97% of energy comes from fossil fuels, almost 28% of which is consumed by transportation activities. Energy consumption-induced CO2 emissions in Pakistan increased from 68,242 (kt) in 1991 to 166,298 (kt) in 2014.

Manufacturing and construction

The construction sector contributes to 23% of air pollution, 40% of drinking water pollution, and 50% of landfill wastes. 

The construction sector is one of the largest exploiters of resources, with half of them being non-renewable. According to the World Watch Institute, the industry consumes 40% of the world's usage in raw stones, gravel and sand and 25% of its virgin wood per year.

The process of constructing new infrastructure produces a lot of waste that ends up in landfills. The construction process requires the burning of fossil fuels which produces greenhouse gases and harms the environment. The newly constructed buildings use energy which can add to the negative impact on the environment. During construction, clearing vegetation and excavating can destroy wildlife and habitats.

In Pakistan, as much as 30 percent of the total solid waste generated comprises of construction and demolition waste, whereas construction materials wastage accounted for 9.8 percent at construction sites in Punjab.

 

Agriculture

Agriculture and food production is associated with all three of these gases CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O, but direct agricultural emissions are unusual in being dominated by CH₄ and N₂O. The global food system is responsible for ~21–37% of annual emissions A small amount of CO₂ emissions occur directly from agricultural production, following the application of urea and lime, but these sources constitute an extremely small portion of total CO₂ emissions. Energy-use CO₂ from either agricultural operations (e.g., tractor fuel) or embedded in inputs (e.g., fertilizer manufacture and transport) can also be included as food system emissions Of the total GHG emissions in Pakistan, agriculture is the single largest contributor representing approximately 41% of the emissions, mainly through livestock rearing and cropland.

Food retail

Food production contributes around 37 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, showing the huge impact that our diets have on climate change.  global food production contributes about 17.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, almost 19 times the amount from the commercial aviation industry. Of these emissions, 57 per cent were related to the production of animal-based foods and plant-based food production accounted for 29 per cent. The remaining emissions came from agricultural land being converted from non-food crops like cotton to food production.

Fashion

The fashion industry accounts for between 5% and 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The global fashion industry is generating a lot of greenhouse gases due to the energy used during its production, manufacturing, and transportation of the million garments purchased each year.

Thus, the textile industry contributes around 9.5% to the country level and 0.095% to global GHG emissions. 
Synthetic fibers (polyester, acrylic, nylon, etc.), used in the majority of our clothes, are made from fossil fuel, making production much more energy-intensive than with natural fibers.

Technology

Technology, in other words, is a double-edged sword-one capable both of doing and undoing damage to environmental quality. Most electronics contain non-biodegradable materials, and heavy metals and toxic materials like cadmium, lead and mercury. Over time, these toxic materials can leak into the ground, where they can contaminate the water we drink, the plants we eat and the animals that live around the area. The tech sector is responsible for 2 to 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Pakistan is the most pollution-affected country in South Asia, contributing 0.87% of the global emissions in 2016 Pakistan is today the world’s fourth most polluted country. Air pollution shortens the average Pakistani’s life expectancy by 4.3 years, relative to what it would have been if the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline was met. Some areas of Pakistan fare much worse than average, with air pollution shortening lives by almost 7 years in the most polluted areas.