Towards sustainable transportation: A case study analysis of climate-responsive strategies in a developing nation

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is the fifth most vulnerable nation in the world to climate change. The growing phenomena of climate change and global warming have increased on a worldwide level. To combat the effects of climate change, a transition to a sustainable transportation system is essential. Developed countries have evaluated the costs and benefits of such a transition. However, developing countries like Pakistan have rarely investigated this matter thoroughly. So, in this context, this paper is a case study analyzing the transport sector of Punjab-Pakistan to achieve some targets for sustainable transportation. The analysis is carried out by using the energy model of the Low Emission Analysis Platform (LEAP) from 2019 to 2050. Three scenarios are made, i.e., Business as Usual Scenario (BAUS) following the current policies, Efficient Combustion Scenario (ECS), and Electrical Vehicle Scenario (EVS) to figure out environmental and social costs. It concluded that by 2050, the ECS and EVS will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 21.6 and 18.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, compared to the Business-as-Usual Scenario. These savings in terms of social cost will be $ 157.1 million in the Efficient Combustion Scenario and $ 134.6 million in the Electric Vehicle Scenario. This research may help find suitable policy decisions at the provincial level to enhance sustainability for increasing the share of electric vehicles in Punjab, and the research results may be replicated for the whole country and South Asia.