Energy-poverty alleviation in Pakistan through use of indigenous energy resources1

The relation between access to energy and indicators of development is well established. It is directly related to most pressing social, economic, environmental, and security issues like poverty, jobs and income level, access to social services, population growth, industrial and agricultural production, food security, health, climate change and environmental quality which affect sustainable development. It is predicted that access to energy will become an acute problem in developing countries in the near future, mainly under the impact of population growth and the rising cost of fuels. This paper looks at how access to and use of energy are related to poverty. It also provides an overview of Pakistan's energy sector, discusses levels of energy services available to people in Pakistan, and potential future energy resources available at local level and their benefits. The study concludes by addressing the growing energy challenges; it has become inevitable for Pakistan to diversify its energy resources through developing indigenous energy resources, especially the renewables.