Green energy solutions were supposed to rescue Pakistan’s farms. Instead, it’s supercharged pumping, emptied wells, and pushed the country’s most populous province towards a critical water emergency. So, while we continue to hear that our environment is at risk from man-made climate change, how can we ignore the irreparable damage being done to the very same environment green energy is supposed to save? 

What’s Happening in Pakistan?

Farmers in Punjab – a region home to 128 million people – have rushed to replace diesel systems with solar-powered tube wells. But, while it’s now cheaper and more “environmentally friendly” to power irrigation, it’s turbo-charged a water shortage in the province. Irrigation runs longer and more often and cropping patterns are shifting towards thirstier staples, while groundwater levels in key districts continue to fall. With the increased opportunity generated by cheap “green” energy, new wells are appearing across villages, boreholes dig deeper, and water tables are on their way to extinction. 

Punjab is the hardest hit region, but all around the country, most rural homes draw from groundwater. While the resources are being drained by solar panels though, it becomes more expensive and more difficult for families to access dwindling water supply, and salinity creeps up in the soils. So, while switching from diesel to solar power will sound like a victory on paper to most, its rushed adoption is affecting millions of people’s access to water. 

A Warning to the World

This is not a small problem. Punjab is one of the largest subnational populations on the planet, and on its own would be the 11^th most populous country in the world. This current green-powered crisis is a case study in how blindly encouraging renewable energy sources in the name of hitting targets can affect entire countries.  

While countries are increasingly pushing farmers to use solar power, they should be learning from Pakistan who jumped on green energy sources before implementing any kind of policy on its usage. And it’s only taken a few years.  

How It Happened

The main reason for its mass adoption was the dramatic reduction in price for solar panels. This has been driven by global demand – in the name of net zero policies and other international targets – and means more people can access the equipment at a lower cost. China dominates most of the supply chain for solar panels, and the price has come down as much as 80% in the past decade.  

The second key factor in arriving at this crisis was the framing of solar irrigation as a win for emissions and farmer incomes by the government. Little or no attention went towards metering or limiting usage, so while the energy got cheaper, the Jevons paradox came into play – making energy cheaper or more accessible increases its usage rather than reducing it, increasing the strain.  

And lastly, farmers are turning to thirstier crops that otherwise would not have made economic sense to produce. With grid or diesel power, every hour of pumping hurts farmers’ bottom line. So, with solar power costing extremely little in comparison, thirstier crops become financially viable. This, in fact, is a rebound effect that water managers have warned about for years.  

In short, “progress” in the shape of increased efficiency and perceived environmental friendliness, has in fact made it all worse. 

What We Need to be Asking

If green power encourages more extraction from natural resources by becoming widely implemented and lower cost, is it still a success in the real world?  

Are leaders too focused on making “climate progress” that they are deliberately ignoring Punjab-style problems in other crowded, water-stressed regions?  

The official narrative tells us that solar is always better. The evidence in this case though, is that cheaper, cleaner energy adopted by the masses can actually make life worse for millions of people in the long run – even if it ticks a box for the government in the meantime. 

Final Thought

Pakistan’s solar push doesn’t tell us that green tech is an out-and-out failure, but rather it provides proof that cheaper, cleaner energy may really be a trap. With developing countries being encouraged by the developed nations to adopt environmentally friendly solutions, who is taking responsibility for outcomes such as this? If the solution implemented can cause long-term damage, is it really about the environment at all?  

Punjab shows us how the climate narrative and the illusion of cheaper energy can instead plunge a nation into ecological debt. If leaders want truly green agriculture, they must align incentives with physical and realistic limits.  

Join the Conversation

Does your country encourage solar-powered farming of any kind? What other “green solutions” have you seen implemented that damage the very thing they’re supposed to help? Add your thoughts below. 

g.calder

I’m George Calder — a lifelong truth-seeker, data enthusiast, and unapologetic question-asker. I’ve spent the better part of two decades digging through documents, decoding statistics, and challenging narratives that don’t hold up under scrutiny. My writing isn’t about opinion — it’s about evidence, logic, and clarity. If it can’t be backed up, it doesn’t belong in the story. Before joining Expose News, I worked in academic research and policy analysis, which taught me one thing: the truth is rarely loud, but it’s always there — if you know where to look. I write because the public deserves more than headlines. You deserve context, transparency, and the freedom to think critically. Whether I’m unpacking a government report, analysing medical data, or exposing media bias, my goal is simple: cut through the noise and deliver the facts. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me hiking, reading obscure history books, or experimenting with recipes that never quite turn out right.

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