Clean, green or renewable sources of energy are sources of energy that can be replenished or regenerated naturally and continuously1. Renewable sources of energy produce little or no pollution or greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, which contribute to climate change2. Thus in order to stop climate change there is a need to transfer from a fossil fuel driven economy to one which relies on renewable and clean energy sources.

Renewable sources of energy are:

• Solar energy: the energy from the sun can be converted into electricity or heat using solar panels, solar cells, solar thermal collectors, or other devices. Solar energy is the most abundant and widely available source of renewable energy on Earth12.

• Wind energy: the energy from the movement of air can be converted into electricity using wind turbines. Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable energy in the world, especially in areas with strong and consistent winds12.

• Hydropower: the energy from the movement of water can be converted into electricity using dams, turbines, or other devices. Hydropower is one of the oldest and most widely used sources of renewable energy in the world, especially in areas with large rivers or waterfalls12.

• Geothermal energy: the energy from the heat inside the Earth can be used for heating, cooling, or electricity generation using wells, pipes, pumps, or other devices. Geothermal energy is available in many parts of the world, especially near volcanic activity or hot springs12.

• Biomass energy: the energy from organic matter, such as plants, animals, or waste, can be burned directly for heat or converted into fuels, such as charcoal, ethanol, biodiesel, or biogas. Biomass energy is a renewable source of energy as long as the biomass is sustainably grown and harvested12.

References:

• National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/renewable-resources/

• United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-renewable-energy

• U.S. Energy Information Administration: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/renewable-sources/

It was in the early 1980s the community based development model in the northern areas of the country with the financial help of the Aga Khan Network started building the Rural Support Program. Community mobilization is cornerstone of community based programs in which 30 to 40 households are forged into a Community Organisation (CO). Central to the model is the ability to forge collective action among the poor. This helps pooling of resources—both financial and human—to identify and execute mutually beneficial projects, and to ensure that benefits from the projects are owned by the poor. Once such collective action takes place, it has positive externalities for beneficiaries in terms of both accessing benefits that the state provides and to resist encroachment on the assets and livelihoods by predatory groups. In a patriarchal society such as Pakistan, any livelihoods or poverty alleviation program will be incomplete without incorporating strategies for women’s empowerment that gradually and incrementally alter existing male-dominated norms. This process will take place essentially around three axes: economic, social and political empowerment. Economic empowerment can be gauged from participation in the labor market, either as an employee or as an entrepreneur. If it is the latter, this can be tracked by creating access to markets where they can command higher returns for their produce. Social empowerment can be assessed mainly by the ability of women to access public spaces for commercial, cultural and recreational purposes. It will also entail finding out where their voice stands within the household and in the larger community they are part of. Political empowerment will be evaluated across three dimensions. First, through activism for accessing public goods and for their rights as women, for their children, their communities and as poor citizens of the state. Second, for accessing state provisions for social protection, health and educational services. Third and most important, to be 2 able to participate in the political process as voters, or seek nominated seats for women in local government as well as provincial and national assemblies. It is obvious that outcomes sought through programmatic interventions, such as poverty alleviation and enhancing community capabilities, sustain beyond the project cycle. Sustainability will be assessed through three aspects. First, creation of sustainable livelihoods will require training in adequate and market compatible skills that can enable the beneficiaries to effectively participate in the labor market. Second, where livelihoods are created through asset transfers, program design and processes need to ensure that returns on those assets can not only cover the depreciation of those assets but are able to pull households permanently out of poverty. In this case, sustainability will require that collective action forged during the course of the program lasts beyond the duration of the project. This is necessary to create some form of a revolving community fund that can provide resources for small infrastructure creation or replenishment in the community but also provide contingency payments to beneficiaries. Third, sustainability can also be gauged through capability enhancement, not only in terms of fostering managerial and vocational skills but also building leadership capabilities to compete for political office. Likewise, if collective action through community mobilization is sustained it can lead to activism for economic, social and political rights for the community. It goes without saying that all rural support programs work within a political context. It is therefore important to understand the political context through the entire cycle of conception, design, execution, monitoring and evaluation stages. We will assess the political economy context through three vantage points. The first is to gauge the compatibility of program design with local power structures. This is particularly important in the Pakistani context where a variety of power structures exist. The probability of success of programs will be very low where they do not take the particular local political dynamics into account. Also programs that do not have enough flexibility in their design will not be able to change course if local political dynamics alter through the course of the program. The second facet is to prevent programs from being captured by local power elites. Local elite capture can occur in a variety of ways. Notably, where locals provide land for program activities, they wield enough power to stall community mobilization—especially of women—or capture assets provided by the program. The third element is the relationship forged between the programs, support programs and donors with different tiers of government. Relationships with the national, provincial and local governments are necessary for purposes of financing, validation and facilitation of the programs. Effectiveness of programs can be severely compromised where effort is not made to forge such relationships or where governments perceive the programs to be encroaching on their domain.