38th UNU Global Seminar Student Reportby Arslan Ali

1. Introduction

Arslan Ali is a JDS fellow from Pakistan. He isstudying Public Economics at the International
Christian University in Tokyo. His passion is effective
policy making and efficient public service delivery. He
remained part of the reforms team of the Prime
Minister Office in Pakistan and contributed to manyreforms for effective public service delivery. He had
been directly involved in policy formulation at several
government departments (including the environment
department), overseeing implementation and post implementation impact evaluation.
Pakistan of today is among the top 10 countries affected by global climate change andthe Government of Pakistan is highly committed to the environment and reducing carbon
emission is one of the top priorities. Pakistan has taken several measures to control thecarbon emission footprint including introduction of Electric Vehicle Policy and green
energy interventions.

2. Keynote speech summary

The keynote speech by Prof. Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi, Director of UNU-IAS, andpresentation given by Dr. Seita Emori, Professor of Institute for Future Initiatives, theUniversity of Tokyo, on day one of the seminar were vivid and laid a strong base on
which the remaining sessions of the seminar were conducted. They were very succinct
in educating participants on the philosophy behind the global efforts to contain global
temperature rise to 1.5C, especially the simulations of temperature change wereinstrumental in relating to what can be different scenarios if prompt global action is nottaken. The presentations conveyed categorically what risks are posed to humanity andwho will suffer the most due to this climate chaos.

The presentation on day two by Prof Shobhakar Dhakal, Vice President for Academic
Affairs (AIT), was very informative on how individual lifestyle changes can aid in theenergy transition and towards the net-zero emissions world. He briefed about how atleast 18 countries have sustained production-based GHG and consumption-based CO2emissions reduction for longer than 10 years through change in policies and economicstructure. Linking the challenge to demand side changes, he stressed a shift in sociocultural factors, infrastructure design and use, and end-to-end technology adoption. Hegave a detailed overview of individual behavioral changes and key policy options which
can aid in making these transitions possible.
3 Group discussion summary
My group focused on the energy sector which is responsible for 73.2% GHG emissions.
The group undertook a detailed analysis of the sectors and sub sectors involved. Industry
with 24.2% contribution to emissions is the largest contributor followed by energy
requirements at residential and commercial buildings at 17.5% and transport at 16.2%.
The group also had a look at the sources of energy globally available and Co2 emissionsof each source, and found that coal, which produces most Co2, is biggest source of
global energy production at 34%, followed by natural gas at 23%. This intrigued the groupto have a look into the energy mix of their countries, Pakistan, China, and Sri Lanka, andfound that Pakistan is producing 12%, China 55%, and Sri Lanka 37% energy from coal.
The group then studied the IRENA 2019 Report A Roadmap to 2050, which estimatedthat meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement would require reducing global energy
demand through energy efficiency, increasing the electrification pathway for all end-use
sectors, and increasing the share of renewables in the energy matrix.
The group also deliberated on how individuals and businesses can become moresustainable by relying on sustainable energy in transport, residential and commercial
buildings, and industry. The group identified and presented the hurdles that inhibit people
from adopting sustainable energy in all these sectors, and came up with interventions
that can be made to eliminate the hurdles. The group also shared the projects initiatedin their respective countries in these sectors to add renewable energy to the nationalenergy mix and make it more sustainable. It was overwhelming to learn that governments
are making policies to make their energy mix more sustainable and ecofriendly.
4. Overall feedback on the seminar
As the world is now realizing that climate change has become the defining issue of ourage and this is the last chance humanity has to come together for a cause which is bigger
than any other threat posed to humanity, it was the right time to take up the issue. Theseminar provided an opportunity to not only ponder on the causes but also gear up for ashift to sustainable lifestyle. I believe that after the seminar all participants sensed theurgency and individual responsibility, and vowed to become the change agents forsustainable lifestyle and contribute in their own spheres by influencing others.