BOAO (China), April 12: President Pervez Musharraf has called for sharing expertise and experiences, removing trade barriers, involving public and private sectors and setting up regional cooperation networks to raise environmental and energy efficiency.

Addressing the Boao Forum for Asia on “Green Asia: Moving towards win-win through changes” here on Saturday, the president said: “The challenge of sustaining economic development and ensuring environmental protection is overwhelming and beyond the capacity of most individual countries in Asia.”

He said that demand for water, energy and raw materials had grown in the world. “Collectively, we face an enormous challenge to ensure food and energy security, prudent water management and environmental protection.”

The president said the phenomenal growth in Asia had led to an increase in global demand for energy and added that 70 per cent of the new demand would come from developing countries, especially those in Asia.

“We will have to rely on both traditional and non-traditional sources of energy to sustain our growth. We simply cannot depend on fossil fuels to be the mainstay of global economy.”

Mr Musharraf pointed out that despite success a large proportion of Asian population still lived on less than two US dollar a day.

The president said Pakistan was dedicated to promoting cooperation for Green Asia, both in the region and within the Saarc framework.

He said Pakistan had taken various steps, including setting up of a policy and review forum on climate change, launching of a mega forestry project, mountain areas conservancy programme and Pakistan Wetlands Programme, to mitigate climate change.

Mr Musharraf said Pakistan was trying to maintain and accelerate its economic growth which had been seven per cent over the past five years.

This, he added, continued to remain the top priority of the new government.

President Musharraf praised the Chinese companies for their contribution to Pakistan’s economic development through investment and business.—APP