Abstract/Description

A sustainable future is intricately tied to maintaining a sustainable environment, both on a global scale and within individual countries. In 2023, recorded temperatures reached unprecedented highs, signaling a concerning trend toward global warming and prompting widespread alarm. These circumstances have spurred increased global attention and a shift away from intensive emission practices towards more environmentally friendly approaches. This research provides empirical evidence on the monetary value of lost environmental benefits due to the production of massive ballot papers for the elections. Focusing on the environmental impact of the 2024 General Election, the study also considers the environmental implications beyond ballot paper production, including the use of campaign materials. The research showed that the environmental impact of traditional electoral procedure has escalated significantly in Pakistan. Compared to 2018, the 2024 election saw an increase in ballots, requiring a lot more tons of paper. Consequently, tree loss soared from 19,200 to 52,080. If felled trees weren't mature, demand would be even greater, signaling a greater depletion of forests. Following the Das tree valuation formula, the benefits of a mature tree covering oxygen provision, soil erosion reduction, pollution mitigation, and habitat for animals. The lost trees for ballot paper production would equate to approximately PKR 2.8 trillion (USD 10 billion), around 3.32% of annual GDP. Considering campaign materials' environmental impact, akin to ballot paper, this figure would rise to about 6.64% of annual GDP.

Keywords

Sustainable Environment, Traditional Elections, Lost Trees, Environmental Impact

Location

S1 room, Adamjee building

Session Theme

Environment, Energy, and Growth Nexus

Session Type

Parallel Technical Session

Session Chair

Heman Das Lohano, Institute of Business Administration

Session Discussant

Sahar Mahmood, Institute of Business Administration ; Junaid Memon, Institute of Business Administration

Start Date

9-12-2024 2:30 PM

End Date

9-12-2024 4:30 PM

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Dec 9th, 2:30 PM Dec 9th, 4:30 PM

Environmental Concerns: Thinking Beyond the Traditional Elections

S1 room, Adamjee building

A sustainable future is intricately tied to maintaining a sustainable environment, both on a global scale and within individual countries. In 2023, recorded temperatures reached unprecedented highs, signaling a concerning trend toward global warming and prompting widespread alarm. These circumstances have spurred increased global attention and a shift away from intensive emission practices towards more environmentally friendly approaches. This research provides empirical evidence on the monetary value of lost environmental benefits due to the production of massive ballot papers for the elections. Focusing on the environmental impact of the 2024 General Election, the study also considers the environmental implications beyond ballot paper production, including the use of campaign materials. The research showed that the environmental impact of traditional electoral procedure has escalated significantly in Pakistan. Compared to 2018, the 2024 election saw an increase in ballots, requiring a lot more tons of paper. Consequently, tree loss soared from 19,200 to 52,080. If felled trees weren't mature, demand would be even greater, signaling a greater depletion of forests. Following the Das tree valuation formula, the benefits of a mature tree covering oxygen provision, soil erosion reduction, pollution mitigation, and habitat for animals. The lost trees for ballot paper production would equate to approximately PKR 2.8 trillion (USD 10 billion), around 3.32% of annual GDP. Considering campaign materials' environmental impact, akin to ballot paper, this figure would rise to about 6.64% of annual GDP.