Greening Growth in Pakistan through Transport Sector Reforms


Book Description

This book identifies reforms that can help manage environmental priority problems associated with transport’s impacts on air quality, noise pollution, road safety, hazardous-materials transport, climate change, and urban sprawl. The policy options are contextualized in light of the Government of Pakistan’s 2011 Framework for Economic Growth and its strategic objectives. Appendixes A–D present additional background information, describe the economic and institutional analyses undergirding this report, and detail the report’s methodology. This analytical work by a team of World Bank specialists focuses on: • analyzing the policy and institutional adjustments required to address environmental, social, and poverty aspects of increased transportation efficiency in Pakistan; • identifying policy options for the Government of Pakistan to better serve the population, to enhance social cohesion, and to foster equitable benefit sharing with low-income or other vulnerable groups; • developing a broad participatory process to give a voice to stakeholders who could be affected by enhancements of freight transport productivity; and • making robust recommendations to strengthen governance and the institutional capacity of agencies to manage the environmental, social, and poverty consequences of freight transportation infrastructure.




Revitalizing Industrial Growth in Pakistan


Book Description

Pakistan’s development efforts are guided by its 2011 Framework for Economic Growth, which identifies actions needed to create a prosperous, industrialized Pakistan through rapid and sustainable development. Industrialization has the potential to drive Pakistan’s economic growth and contribute significantly to meeting both economic and human development goals in Pakistan. Expansions of industrialization activities, whether in highly developed or developing countries, can be stimuli for intense debate about such projects’ benefits and costs to the region in which they are to be located, to the national economy—and to human health and the environment. Pakistan’s 2011 Framework for Economic Growth recognizes that, to accelerate industrialization, Pakistan must reduce the cost of doing business and create an incentive structure designed to achieve a competitive, dynamic, and export-driven industrial sector capable of providing employment to the growing labor force. Competing in global markets requires a socially and environmentally sustainable industrialization strategy. The four main inputs for sustainable industrial growth in Pakistan discussed in this book are 1) Macroeconomic stability and sectoral policies to support industrial competitiveness by allowing long-term planning, including investments in infrastructure and cleaner production. 2) Upgraded trade facilitation and infrastructure (particularly transport and energy) to address some of industrialization’s spatial aspects. Improved transport infrastructure will lower production’s environmental costs. 3) Greening of Pakistan’s industrial sector to enhance international competitiveness—“greening” will make Pakistan a more attractive export partner for nations and firms committed to green production. 4) Strong institutions—for example, environmental management agencies to control pollution, and cleaner production centers to increase domestic awareness of international environmental standards—to implement industrialization initiatives effectively, including those for small and medium-sized enterprises. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of issues relating to the debate about Pakistan’s green industrial growth and lays out priorities and strategies for “greening” Pakistan’s industrial growth.




Freight Transport Modeling in Emerging Countries


Book Description

Freight Transport Modeling in Emerging Countries examines freight transport models developed in emerging countries including Turkey, South Africa, India, Chile, and more. It provides a toolbox of successful freight transport model applications, alternative data collection methods, and evaluation techniques for the development of future policies. The book offers solutions for issues related to the urban, national, and international transportation of goods and examines new advances in freight transport models and data collection techniques and their applications in emerging countries. Emerging countries have unique transport-related policies, regulatory structures, logistics systems, and long-term uncertainties that hinder their economic development. This book tackles these issues by examining decision-making models for locating logistics sites such as ports and distribution centers, modeling urban freight movements in megacities and port cities, using existing datasets to get information when data is not available, implementing policies related to the national and international movements of goods, and more. - Includes a wide variety of opinions and approaches from subject matter experts around the world - Utilizes a case-based approach - Includes a range of learning tools that feature chapter openers, end of chapter questions, a glossary, and more - Examines new advances in freight transport models and data collection techniques




Pakistan’s changing demography


Book Description

This study uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to evaluate improvements in transportation infrastructure and related urbanization over the last 40 years in Pakistan. In addition, we suggest a definition to measure peri-urban population using the agglomeration index methodology developed by Uchida and Nelson (2008). In doing so, we incorporate a series of GIS data including: travel time rasters, population density rasters and other nationally collected biophysical and infrastructure variables (i.e. roads, railroads, waterbodies) in order to construct measurements of urban agglomeration within Pakistan. We use road and population data from corresponding census years (and government growth rates for more recent population estimates) to model reductions in remoteness to urban areas over time.




The Political Economy of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor


Book Description

This book explores the political economy of China-Pakistan economic corridor, a major pilot project for China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiatives. Pakistan will provide China with not only a pathway access to the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Africa, but also vital connections to the Trans-Asia railway network that links Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia. This book analyzes how domestic factors in Pakistan will affect China’s $46 billion investments. It will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and journalists.




Cleaning Pakistan’s Air


Book Description

The extent of urban air pollution in Pakistan—South Asia's most urbanized country—is among the world’s most severe, significantly damaging human health, quality of life, and the economy and environment of Pakistan. The harm from Pakistan's urban air pollution is among the highest in South Asia, exceeding several high-profile causes of mortality and morbidity in Pakistan. Improved air quality management (AQM) in Pakistan can have notable economic and health benefits. For example, the estimated health benefits per dollar spent on cleaner diesel are approximately US $1–1.5 for light-duty diesel vehicles and US $1.5–2.4 for large buses and trucks. This report advocates that Pakistan allocate resources to AQM, because its air quality is severely affecting millions of Pakistanis, and because experiences around the world indicate that interventions can significantly improve air quality. This report details a broad spectrum of research on Pakistan’s AQM challenges, and identifies a comprehensive set of steps to improve air quality. The research presented here underpins the conclusions that addressing Pakistan's urban air pollution requires coordinated interventions to strengthen AQM, build agencies' institutional capacity, bolster AQM's legal and regulatory framework, implement policy reforms and investments, and fill knowledge gaps. However, Pakistan's policy makers face major obstacles, including limited financial, human, and technical resources, and can pursue only a few AQM interventions at the same time. In the short term, Pakistan's AQM should give highest priority to reducing pollutants linked to high morbidity and mortality: PM2.5 (and precursors like SOx and NOx) from mobile sources. A second-level short-term priority could be PM2.5, SOx, and emissions of toxic metals from stationary sources. An important medium-term priority should be mass transportation in major cities, controlling traffic, and restricting private cars during high-pollution episodes. A long-term priority could be taxing hydrocarbons, based on their contribution to greenhouse gases.




Inclusive Green Growth


Book Description

Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development makes the case that greening growth is necessary, efficient, and affordable. Yet spurring growth without ensuring equity will thwart efforts to reduce poverty and improve access to health, education, and infrastructure services.







Greening India's Growth


Book Description

India’s sustained and rapid economic growth offers an opportunity to lift millions out of poverty. But this may come at a steep cost to its environment and natural resources. This insightful book analyses India’s growth from an economic perspective and assesses whether India can grow in a "green" and sustainable manner. Three key issues are addressed. The first is the physical and monetary costs and losses of environmental health and natural resources driven by economic growth. The authors undertake a monetary valuation and quantification of environmental damage, using techniques that have been developed to better understand and quantify preferences and values of individuals and communities in the context of environmental quality, conservation of natural resources, and environmental health risks. The second part estimates the value of ecosystem services from the major biomes in India using state-of-the art methods with a view to preserving them for the future. The third section provides a menu of policy instruments to explore trade-offs between economic growth and environmental sustainability using a Computable General Equilibrium approach with particular attention to air pollution. The conclusions focus on the way forward in terms of policies, measures and instruments as India has to balance the twin challenges of maintaining economic prosperity while managing its environmental resources.




Understanding and Responding to Climate Change in Developing Asia


Book Description

Climate change is a major threat to improving prosperity in Asia and the Pacific. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has an important role to play in responding to the threats---and opportunities---presented by climate change in the region. To better align its investments and associated policy and institutional support with the priorities of its developing member countries relating to climate and development each of ADB's five regional departments---covering Central and West Asia, East Asia, the Pacific, South Asia, and Southeast Asia---has drafted a Climate Change Implementation Plan to serve as a guide for climate-related responses, both to mitigate greenhouse emissions and to adapt to climate change impacts. This report summarizes the recommendations of the regional plans and outlines ongoing and planned interventions to help build low-carbon, climate resilient economies in Asia and the Pacific.