Paperless In Pakistan


The amount of paper the world uses is partially responsible for the alarming rate of deforestation, a major reason for global warming. By going paperless, corporations and communities can bring down the demand for paper, but is this a feasible option in Pakistan?

Global warming causes an increase in the general temperature levels. In 1912, an iceberg that collided with the Titanic in the north Atlantic Ocean came from Greenland. Global warming had caused the huge chunks of ice to break off Greenland's glaciers.

Almost a century later, global warming is still the talk of the time, and it’s more than just Rose and Jack’s tragic love story as depicted in the blockbuster Titanic. This time it threatens our planet and existence.

Global warming, if not unchecked immediately, would cause havoc and is already showing its adverse effects in many forms. Increased number of earthquakes due to increased seismic activity, increased number of hurricanes, rises in sea levels due to the melting of polar caps, extreme climates, disappearance of glaciers, and drastic reduction in crop production and yields. All this indirectly challenges human existence.

The main reason for global warming is said to be the alarming rate of carbon emissions, particularly from the burning of oil and gas, that is depleting the protective layer on the exterior of our planet. However, people fail to realise that another integral reason for global warming is the alarming rate of deforestation. Researchers the world over have recognised that the destruction of the rainforests around the world, that form a precious cooling band around the Equator, is also responsible for the havoc that the world’s changing weather is causing.

Forests, particularly rainforests, are cut down the world over for various reasons. One of the reasons is the production of paper. Research and statistics conclude that the major consumption of paper is in the corporate sector, in around 200 of the 300 million tonnes of paper produced annually is used, and out of this, only a fraction is retained over the year. The rest is either shredded, dumped or becomes redundant.

James Hansen, the director of the Goddard Institute of Space Sciences and a representative of scientists to the US Congress, who is sometimes called the godfather of global warming science, stated, “We’re toast if we don’t get on a very different path”. He suggested we face this crisis by taking a different route and curbing down paper consumption.

DOING IT RIGHT
Environmentalists believe that the main reasons for global warming are the emission of carbon from combustion of fossil fuels and the release of carbon due to deforestation. While carbon emissions from the former can be curbed down by using green fuels and hybrid engines, the second factor is easier to tackle and its answer lies in reducing the demand for wood. One of the ways of doing this can be to go paperless as much as possible.

Think tanks around the world are stressing the need to go paperless in every sector to help cut down on the rate of deforestation. The need to go paperless in the corporate sector is imperative and very viable too. Going completely paperless in the legal framework and in all government offices is something to be soon implemented in many parts of Europe, as disclosed in one of the recent UN Environmental Conservation Conference.

Many offices around the world are also going paperless, a very feasible step. Going paperless requires all paperwork to be scanned in a digital form, which is a computer accessible data format, such as PDF (Adobe’s portable data format). All the paperwork is organised as simple files which can be easily carried in portable media, such as floppy drives, USBs and compact disks. This not only saves the much needed physical storage space, previously filled up by often untouched files, but also causes simplicity and ease in presenting, sharing, editing and printing data.

It is not only ‘greener’, but also a step forward for a corporate firm as it makes them more technology-oriented. This also brings in skilled computer and network operators, and makes the organisation accessible to the internet and data orientation becomes much faster and efficient.

Going paperless will not only save the much needed physical storage space, previously filled up by often untouched files, but will also cause simplicity and ease in presenting, sharing, editing and printing data.

Environmentalists working for the UN emphasise that now is the right time to make a move towards a paperless working environment as this will not only tackle the growing global warming challenge, but will also put the advancement made by technology to proper use. According to an estimate, 72 per cent of carbon emissions will be reduced if all of the European Union cooperates go paperless!

The paperless working style in the corporate sector has produced positive responses in terms of ease and accessibility. "With filing cabinets and old paperwork you can always lose, you can always misfile it," says a business manager and adds, “I have lots of papers and charts, so if, at a certain point of time, I have to store them I don't have to go look for storage space — I can always have them in the computer."

Mobile tickets, or m-tickets, are now available in many parts of the world for transportation and various events. The technology works by enabling users to photograph a barcode on a concert poster and immediately access a booking page by the mobile phone. After booking the tickets, the user gets a text message with another barcode, and this text message acts as a ticket which is scanned at the venue for verification. Due to the growing hype of a completely paperless corporate structure in the following decades, technology giants, such as HP, are already launching a series of models of high speed scanners which will aid to facsimile large volumes of documents at a faster rate than the existing technologies. Adobe is launching corporate services for its much used PDF, a corporate favourite for scanning and facsimileing.

PAPERLESS IN PAKISTAN
Populations around the world today are more environment literate than they ever were. They realise the enormity of global warming and, therefore, organisations realise that people are now more inclined towards ‘greener’ or environment-friendly products and going paperless is the way to boost profits and attract a more green-oriented consumer base. Consumers do not mind paying more for a product if they are assured that it will have a positive impact on the environment.

However, to go paperless in Pakistan, in our current economic, political and social conditions is very difficult and there are lots of hurdles in the way. Going paperless means more computers and, therefore, more power consumption. The current power needs and inadequate electricity production does not encourage this idea, and add to this the uncertain hours of load-shedding and improper voltage, and things become more unfavourable for a paperless setup.

Secondly, going paperless will raise the demand for skilled labour such as computer operators and network administrators. This would open up new employment avenues and would indirectly create greater competition in the corporate employee market for all these professions. Many organisations will not welcome a scenario where the demand for professionals with computer skills leads to a hike in salaries and they may overlook the long-term benefits and profits it may imply.

Another associated problem is the redundancy of the people already employed as clerks and shelf keepers. Going paperless would lead to all these thousands of people becoming unemployed. The idea of such a large redundant labour force is never looked on favourably by any government in a developing economy.

Despite all these apprehensions, there are organisations in Pakistan that specialise in helping firms going paperless. There are various multinational and local companies, and some leading pharmaceuticals that are carrying out their operations with as little paper usage as possible. A remarkable step in this direction was taken by a privately owned hospital, Indus Hospital, located in Korangi, Karachi, when it went paperless in all aspects. They started this campaign to reduce costs in the long run, and increase efficiency.

The government realises the existence of some paperwork as futile and therefore, some processes are being revamped to become paperless. Pakistan Customs has launched a customer facilitation website, and Juneid Akram, Additional Collector, Pakistan Customs’ Computerised Systems, says the process is now web-enabled (www.paccs.gov.pk), and now importers and exporters can interact with Customs and get their cargo cleared online from anywhere in the country, without ever visiting the Customs House or contacting a customs official.

“PCCS is a completely 'paperless’ process, with no filing of documents or declarations like the bill of entry, shipping bills, applications, etc. It’s a one-window system which opens at your own office. Only a user’s ID, a computer and an internet connection are required,” he reveals.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) also launched the filing of tax on their website, along with e-complaints and other costumer facilities, thus making the FBR tax system paperless and very viable, making the process free of red tapism.

Through proper planning and implementation of a paperless environment, we can not only make a Third World country like Pakistan go green and become more efficient, but also become technologically at par with the rest of the world.

Global warming is a titanic threat affecting everyone. Going paperless globally can help a long way in slowing it down. Even small steps on individual levels can make an impact. We, as individuals should try to reduce our share of carbon emissions and saving paper. Going paperless can drastically improve the situation, and make the world a place worth living for our children.

Back