Tag: Climate change

  • World Bank and IMF spring meetings to address global economic uncertainties and climate change

    World Bank and IMF spring meetings to address global economic uncertainties and climate change

    On Monday, the 2023 spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) commence in the US capital to examine the “uncertainties and risks weighing heavily” on the global economy. The meetings, which run from April 10 to 16, will take place at the IMF and World Bank headquarters and will focus on the impact of climate change, which is endangering lives and livelihoods worldwide.

    Finance ministers and central bank governors from around the world will attend the meetings to reconnect with international financial leaders, and some may hold one-on-one meetings with officials from the US Treasury and State Department. Pakistan will be represented at the meetings by the secretaries of finance and economic affairs, as well as the State Bank governor, in place of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

    An official statement outlining the issues to be discussed at the meetings indicated that “stubborn inflation, the cost-of-living crisis, and slower growth effects” are causing harm to the poor and most vulnerable. The statement further highlighted that record-high debt is impeding the progress of developing countries, and that the consequences of climate change are threatening lives and livelihoods globally. According to Dawn, experts are urging the World Bank and the IMF to create a comprehensive strategy to address the challenges that developing nations are facing.

    A picture on the UN Foundation’s website illustrates the widespread devastation caused by last year’s floods in Pakistan, prompting international financial institutions to devise a new mechanism to “assist communities affected by (climate change) catastrophes.” The caption beneath the photo emphasised that “many lives were lost, and millions lost their homes, with one-third of the country submerged.”

    According to a World Bank study released shortly after the floods, “Pakistan urgently requires substantial investment in climate resilience to safeguard its economy and reduce poverty.”

  • Bilawal blames PTI policies for TTP attacks

    Bilawal blames PTI policies for TTP attacks

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari— who is currently in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting— has spoken to Al Jazeera about the recently held conference in Geneva for Pakistan’s devasting flood losses, a looming economic crisis and the soaring threats of terrorism.

    In his interview, the 34-year-old minister blamed the previous government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its wrong approach and “policy of appeasement” towards the Taliban.

    He said, “I believe that the previous government had the wrong approach. Its policy of appeasement towards the Taliban has created problems for the people of Pakistan”, adding that this approach has been ended by the incumbent government.

    He said that recently the government also had a national security meeting and it was decided then that Pakistan would adopt a zero-tolerance policy against terrorist groups.

    Talking about the oppressive Taliban reign in Afghanistan, Bilawal urged the world to continue engaging with Afghanistan as it is the only solution. He said, “We [Pakistan] are neighbours, we couldn’t separate if we wanted to. The only way to enhance leverage on both sides is to continue to engage with them.”

    “I do not think turning our back and disengaging is an option. And it’s certainly not an option for Pakistan which shares such a long and porous border with Afghanistan”, he said, highlighting that both “Pakistanis and Afghanis are victims of terrorism”.

    About the economic and food crisis back home, the minister pointed out that Pakistan is not alone in facing the economic crisis as the world is also suffering and these all are the result of post-covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    However, he hoped that the situation will get better in the coming days. `

    Terming the Geneva conference “resilient”, he thanked the international community for pledging more than $9 billion for Pakistan’s flood rehabilitation and climate resilience building.

  • Greta Thunberg detained in Germany over coal mine protest

    Greta Thunberg detained in Germany over coal mine protest

    Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg was detained by the German police on Tuesday for participating in a coal mine protest in a village in Lutzerath.
    Thunberg was participating in the protest to stop authorities from demolishing the village for the coal mine’s expansion.
    Police representative Christof Huls while speaking to CNN, said that Thunberg was part of a large group of protesters who had broken through the police barrier and had settled around a coal pit. Huls further elaborated that police were concerned that the mass of protesters could set the ground in motion after it had been softened by rainfall in the last few days, leading to the detention of the protestors.

    ‘We knew who she was, but she did not get VIP treatment,’ Huls said.

    Police also said that the activists detained would be released later in the day.

    Thunberg had joined thousands of climate activists in Germany against the demolishing of a village in order to make way for the Garzweiler lignite coal mine, which is owned by the European multi-national corporation RWE. Climate activists had argued that the expansion of the coal mine will increase planet-warming emissions and violate the Paris Climate Agreement’s promise to bring the global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
    Thunberg had addressed the activists on Saturday, saying that their fight to save the planet was not over as long as people keep prioritizing short term economic growth and corporate greed.
    “We need to stop the current destruction of our planet and sacrificing people to benefit the short-term economic growth and corporate greed,” she said.

  • Baita waapis aaya: Junaid is moving back permanently to help mother in politics

    Baita waapis aaya: Junaid is moving back permanently to help mother in politics

    Junaid Safdar, the son of Senior Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, is set to travel to Pakistan to settle in the country permanently, reports Murtaza Shah for The News.

    News reports state that Junaid and his wife, Ayesha Saif, will reach Pakistan on Friday from Doha.

    The couple would be shifting to Pakistan permanently to assist Maryam Nawaz in the party’s political activities.

    On January 2, Maryam Nawaz was appointed the Senior Vice President of PML-N. She will also take on the responsibility of organising the party.

    According to news reports, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday left London for a week-long trip to Switzerland’s Geneva.

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will also be visiting Geneva to co-host the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan — along with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — on January 9.

    The reports further suggest that the PML-N supremo and his daughter will have meetings scheduled during the trip. Nawaz will also meet with PM Shehbaz, who is expected to reach the Swiss city on Sunday, January 8.

  • Greta Thunberg wins the internet with befitting clap back to incel king Andrew Tate

    Greta Thunberg wins the internet with befitting clap back to incel king Andrew Tate

    When will grown men on the internet stop coming after young girls and attempting to silence them? Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is one of the most vocal voices against climate change. The young girl has been a prime target for insecure men who send her trolling messages.

    This time though, Thumberg has clapped back and done so with a thunderous bang.

    Dirt bag Andrew Tate tried to harass Greta by tagging her in a post where he boasted about the number of cars he had and the emissions they would release.
    Greta had a befitting reply to him. The tweet has already gained 2.2 million likes.

    After this amazing exchange, the top trends on Pakistani Twitter included #smalldickenergy, Andrew Tate and Take An L.

    Sometime later, Andrew Tate responded with a video clip where he accused Greta of being involved in the matrix, and told his followers that she is trying to get people to convince their government to tax them into poverty.

    Still a weak crybaby, but that’s what you get for harassing powerful girls like Greta.

  • Govt announces shut down of markets, restaurants at 8pm to save energy

    Govt announces shut down of markets, restaurants at 8pm to save energy

    The federal government on Tuesday announced a plan to save energy. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that all the markets and restaurants across the country will be shut down at 8pm. 

    Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira were also present at the media briefing.

    “If 20% of the workers are sent for work from home on a rotational basis, this will save Rs56 billion,” said the minister.

    Pharmacies have been exempted from these restrictions.

    “The government is also introducing e-bikes, which will phase out the bikes that use petrol. The government is negotiating with companies to phase out the bikes that use petrol and modify the existing bikes,” said Asif.

    A definitive strategy on that, however, is anticipated to be announced on Thursday when the federal government finalises its consultations with all provincial governments.

    “Pakistan’s cabinet decides to take energy conservation measures that will save billions of rupees and burn less fossil fuels. Energy is a huge carbon emitter. Committee will take pathways to the provinces and report back in two days,” tweeted Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman.

  • Climate Change can lead to humanitarian crisis in 2023

    Climate Change can lead to humanitarian crisis in 2023

    The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has released its annual Emergency Watchlist, highlighting the 20 countries most at risk of deteriorating humanitarian crises in 2023.

    According to the report, climate change will accelerate humanitarian crises around the world in 2023, adding to issues created by armed conflict and economic downturns.

    As per the study, Somalia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan top IRC’s list of countries most at risk of deteriorating humanitarian crises in 2023.
    David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC said, “The Emergency Watchlist shows record levels of humanitarian need in 2022 and real peril ahead for 2023.

    “A year ago we diagnosed a global ‘System Failure’ – deficits in respect of state actions, diplomacy, legal rights and humanitarian operations that are driving the increased numbers of people in humanitarian need. Yet humanitarian need, forced displacement and food insecurity have all worsened since then,” he said. This system failure can be seen in this year’s figures: humanitarian need has jumped by 65 million people since last year, displacement has ballooned to over 100 million people.

    “The 2023 Watchlist reveals a need for a step change in the way the international community approaches humanitarian crises. At their heart, these are political crises, economic crises, security crises, and climate crises. But the erosion of guardrails meant to address these underlying issues means that humanitarian crises are spiraling. Aid as usual will not meet the moment. The nearly 340 million people who require aid in 2023 need more humanitarian funding for greater and better programs. But they also deserve more. They require a plan to break the cycle of runaway crises. This means new tools to protect people caught up in conflict, and a new commitment to confront – rather than compound- shared global risks,” he stated.

  • Javed Hussain becomes first Pakistani to receive Gender Just Climate Solution Award’

    Javed Hussain becomes first Pakistani to receive Gender Just Climate Solution Award’

    The “Gender Just Climate Solution Award” was given to environmentalist Javed Hussain at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt, making him the first Pakistani recipient of the honour, Sameer Mandhro reports for Express Tribune.

    The title of Hussain’s project was, “Advancing the labor rights of women cotton pickers in Pakistan”.

    The Hala-born environmentalist has actively worked on the issue of how climate change affects women who harvest cotton in Mitiari and other areas of Sindh province, one of the most flood-prone districts in the province.

    Three awards were given out on Monday during an event that saw a total of 259 organisations from 119 nations, including Pakistan, submit their applications.

    According to a press release from the United Nations-affiliated group Women Engage for Common Future’s Women and Gender Constituency, SCF use a feminist participatory action research methodology to serve the needs of female agricultural workers.

  • Climate disaster: Pakistan to receive ‘Global Shield’ funding

    Climate disaster: Pakistan to receive ‘Global Shield’ funding

    Pakistan will be one of the first initial recipients of the Global Shield funding that will be provided to countries hit by climate disasters.
    The Global Shield will build support to be deployed in nations like Pakistan, Ghana, Fiji, and Senegal. It is supported by 170 million euros ($175 million) in funding from Germany and 40 million euros ($41 million) from additional contributors including Denmark and Ireland.The Global Shield was officially launched on November 14, 2022 at the COP27 climate conference.

    Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji, Ghana, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Senegal were identified as some of the earliest beneficiaries of Global Shield supplies in a statement released by Germany on Monday.

    Germany stated that these packages would be created in the upcoming months.

    As many as 33 million people of the 220 million in the South Asian nation have been affected in some way by recent monsoon floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland.

  • Only seven women out of 110 world leaders in climate change conference

    Only seven women out of 110 world leaders in climate change conference

    Out of the 110 world leaders who showed up to discuss climate issues at the Climate change conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, only seven are women. This disproportionate representation was in stark contrast to the fact that women are most affected by the climate crisis.

    Former Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada, Catherine McKenna thinks male leaders at COP27 should allow women to take their podium time.

    In an op-ed for Scientific American, McKenna, along with climate researcher Amy Myers Jaffe, said, “This is especially critical as attendees discuss how the countries of the Global North, responsible for most of the world’s carbon output, should help the Global South deal with the effects of that pollution. The perspectives of women, whose voices are underrepresented in climate discussions, are instrumental to solving the climate crisis in a more just and equitable fashion and can contribute powerfully to our understanding of climate action across the globe.”

    According to United Nations (UN) report, women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety.

    Seventy per cent of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty are women. In urban areas, 40 per cent of the poorest households are headed by women. Women predominate in the world’s food production (50-80 per cent), but they own less than 10 per cent of the land.