G20 coal subsidies rise likely to impact Pakistan’s push for cleaner renewable energy

G20 governments boosted backing for coal-fired power plants from $17 billion to $47 billion a year between 2014 and 2017, according to a report by the London-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a think tank. (Photo Courtesy: AFP)
Updated 27 June 2019
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G20 coal subsidies rise likely to impact Pakistan’s push for cleaner renewable energy

  • Despite climate pledges, G20 coal subsidies upped by $30 bn a year between 2014-17, report
  • China and Japan were the biggest providers of public finance for coal-fired power

London: Despite promising a decade ago to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, the world’s leading economies more than doubled subsidies to coal-fired power plants over three years, putting climate goals at risk, energy researchers said Tuesday.
Between 2014 and 2017, G20 governments more than halved direct support for coal mining, from $22 billion to about $10 billion on average each year, according to a report by the London-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a think tank.
But over the same period they boosted backing for coal-fired power plants — particularly supporting construction of the plants in other, often poorer nations — from $17 billion to $47 billion a year, the report noted.
China and Japan — which will host a G20 summit later this week in Osaka — were the biggest providers of public finance for coal-fired power, followed by South Korea and India, it said.
While spending from national budgets on coal fell, as did tax breaks for it, other forms of support — from development finance institutions, export-credit agencies and state-owned enterprises — soared, the report said.
“You can see they’re pretty much exporting the dirty energy systems to countries in much earlier stages of their development,” said Ipek Gencsu, a researcher at ODI and a lead author of the report.
Those include nations such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam, she said, where foreign backing for coal power is slowing adoption of cleaner renewable energy systems and locking in dirty energy and air pollution risks.
To meet an internationally agreed goal of holding rising global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, coal power will need to be phased out between 2030 and 2050, according to the Powering Past Coal Alliance.
That alliance, formed in 2017 and led by the British and Canadian governments, includes 30 countries as well as businesses and other organizations committed to switching to clean energy as rapidly as possible to meet climate goals.
Coal currently provides about 40 percent of the world’s electricity, according to the alliance.
Because new coal-fired power plants have a life of about 40 years, over which their costs must be paid back to investors, building new coal plants could lock countries into using them beyond the needed phase-out of coal, energy experts say.
“They’re heading toward a car crash,” Gencsu predicted, with taxpayers in countries that accept new coal plants likely to foot the bill for bailing out investors if the plants are shut early to meet climate goals.
TRANSITION FUNDS
About $3 billion a year in support by G20 governments for coal aims to ease the pain at home of the transition away from the fuel, through measures such as helping workers retrain or rehabilitating closed coal mine sites, according to the ODI report.
But governments are also helping support coal companies that are no longer financially viable, often to ensure a stable baseline of power to complement fluctuating renewable energies such as wind and solar, Gencsu said.
Coal subsidies also continue in many places because of powerful coal lobbies — or because politicians prefer to delay decisions that could have political consequences, she said.
Ilan Kelman, a researcher on sustainability and energy issues at University College London, said that “the people who receive the subsidies may have a lot of influence on the politicians who give them the subsidies”.
Also, quickly slashing subsidies without easing the burden on people’s budgets can lead to political unrest, as France found out last year when it raised fuel taxes, spurring the “yellow vest” protest movement, Kelman said.
Globally, direct fossil fuel subsidies were $427 billion last year, according to the International Energy Agency.
Indirect fossil fuel subsidies — including things like costs to health systems from air pollution and fossil fuel spill cleanups — were estimated at $5.2 trillion a year in 2017, according to an International Monetary Fund working report.
Gencsu said that to hold the line on climate change, governments, development banks and other bodies supporting coal “need to be much braver and come to grips with the reality of the climate emergency — and make policy decisions very soon.”


Nida Dar becomes top wicket-taker in women’s T20Is despite Pakistan’s loss to England

Updated 19 May 2024
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Nida Dar becomes top wicket-taker in women’s T20Is despite Pakistan’s loss to England

  • Despite Dar’s milestone, Pakistan fell to England by 65 runs, allowing the hosts to secure a 2-0 series lead
  • Pakistan are now gearing up for the third and final T20I against England, set to take place on May 19 in Leeds

ISLAMABAD: Nida Dar, captain of the Pakistan women’s cricket team, made history by becoming the top wicket-taker in Women’s T20 International cricket with her 137th wicket during the second match against England in Northampton on Friday.

Despite her milestone, Pakistan fell to England by 65 runs, allowing the hosts to secure a 2-0 series lead.

England, batting first, were restricted to 144-6, thanks in part to Dar’s two wickets. However, Pakistan struggled in reply, collapsing to 79 all out within 15.5 overs as English spinners Sophie Ecclestone, Alice Capsey and Sarah Glenn collectively snagged seven wickets.

The International Cricket Council recognized Dar’s historic performance on its website after the match.

“Dar overtook Australia’s Megan Schutt (136 wickets) to lay her claim at the top of the leading wicket-takers chart in women’s T20I on Friday, 17 May,” the ICC proclaimed. “She is the only Pakistan woman in the top 10 list.”

The Pakistan skipper, who started the game with 135 career wickets, was on the verge of setting the new record during Pakistan’s recent home series against the West Indies.

In the match against England, she edged closer to the milestone by getting Capsey stumped in almost the middle of the game and later, in the final over, clinched her landmark 137th wicket by dismissing Amy Jones.

Pakistan are now gearing up for the third and final T20I against England, set to take place on May 19 in Leeds.


Pakistan to send two-member delegation to Kyrgyzstan, offers free evacuation to stranded students

Updated 18 May 2024
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Pakistan to send two-member delegation to Kyrgyzstan, offers free evacuation to stranded students

  • The decision comes after five Pakistani students were injured in mob violence against foreign nationals in Bishkek
  • Deputy PM Ishaq Dar will lead the delegation on Sunday morning to review arrangements for the return of students

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided to send a two-member delegation to the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek and offered free travel facilities to all Pakistani students stranded there on Saturday, following mob violence against foreign nationals enrolled in various universities that led to evacuation requests.
The violence erupted on Friday night after videos of a brawl between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students went viral online, prompting furious mobs to target hostels of medical universities and private lodgings of international students, including Pakistanis, in the city.
According to official statistics, around 10,000 Pakistani students are enrolled in various educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan, with nearly 6,000 residing and studying in Bishkek.
Speaking to Arab News on Saturday, many students reported the Pakistan embassy had advised them to stay indoors, though they had run out of food and water. Some even expressed fears that rioting might resume at night and requested evacuation by the authorities.
A statement released by the PM’s Office in the evening indicated that Sharif had directed Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and another cabinet member, Amir Maqam, to address the situation in Bishkek.
“Both officials will depart for Bishkek early tomorrow morning [on Sunday] via a special plane,” the statement continued. “Throughout the day, the Prime Minister had been monitoring the situation and staying in contact with the Pakistani ambassador in Bishkek.”
“Despite the satisfactory situation,” it added, “the decision to send this delegation was made to ensure necessary support and facilities for Pakistani students.”
The two Pakistani officials will meet with senior government officials in the Kyrgyz capital to ensure medical treatment for injured students and review arrangements for their return.
In an earlier statement, the prime minister noted that those who wanted to return to Pakistan would be “facilitated at the government’s expense.”
Sharif also declared that his administration would not leave the students alone during such a difficult time and would remain in contact with them and their parents through the embassy.
Meanwhile, the foreign office activated its Crisis Management Unit to facilitate and assist Pakistani nationals in the Kyrgyz Republic and their families. The unit can be contacted on the following numbers: +92519203108 and +92519203094, or via email at [email protected].
The country’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hasan Zaigham said earlier in the day that five Pakistani medical students had been injured in the mob attack. One student was admitted to a local hospital with a jaw injury, while the other four were released after receiving first aid.
“No Pakistani was killed or raped in the violence,” he told Arab News over the phone, dispelling rumors circulating on social media. “The situation is under control now as Bishkek authorities have dispersed all the miscreants.”


Journalists protest temporary closure of Quetta Press Club, demand media freedom inquiry

Updated 18 May 2024
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Journalists protest temporary closure of Quetta Press Club, demand media freedom inquiry

  • Police locked the facility after rights activist Mahrang Baloch decided to hold a seminar at the facility
  • The Balochistan Union of Journalists issued a statement, describing it as an attack on press freedom

KARACHI: Journalists in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Saturday condemned the temporary closure of Quetta Press Club by police, demanding an inquiry into what they called an attack on media freedom in violation of the country’s constitution.
The incident took place after the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), an ethnic rights movement led by local activist Mahrang Baloch, organized a seminar at the press club, prompting the police to lock the facility. However, supporters of the rights movement broke the lock and entered the club.
Last year, Baloch gained national visibility by leading a protest march to Islamabad, saying her objective was to bring attention to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in her province, though the government denied the state’s involvement in any such activities.
“The Balochistan Union of Journalists strongly condemns the closure of the Quetta Press Club by the administration in harsh terms, considering it an attack on press freedom and a blatant violation of the Article 19 of the Constitution,” said a statement that called for investigation into the issue.
“The closure of the Press Club is an assault on the freedom and rights of journalists, which is unacceptable,” it added. “This move by the administration is a conspiracy to silence journalists, and we will protest vigorously against it.”
The union pointed out that journalists were already facing threats and challenges, though it added they would continue to fulfill their responsibilities and remain undeterred by such measures.
“Article 19 of Pakistan’s Constitution grants every citizen the freedom of expression, and the closure of the Press Club is a clear violation of it,” the statement continued. “The Balochistan Union of Journalists demands a high-level investigation into the matter so that journalists can fulfil their duties without fear or danger.”
When contacted, Banaras Khan, the general secretary of Quetta Press Club, told Arab News the district administration had asked the club’s administration to cancel the program, citing security reasons.
“Half of the participants came and half were on their way when the police locked the gate,” he said, adding he had refused to cancel the program.
“I informed the authorities that I wouldn’t force the participants to leave,” Khan revealed. “If the provincial administration wanted to, they could, but they should then lock the gate, and we would leave as well,” he said, highlighting his disagreement with the officials that made him warn that the journalists would vacate the premises in protest.
Shahid Rind, a Balochistan government spokesperson, said, however, it was the decision of the police, deployed outside the club for its protection, to lock the facility as a strategy to deal with the large crowd, adding the government had no intention to stop the program.
“Our position is clear,” he said. “We didn’t put any locks, nor did we want to stop the seminar.”
Rind said the organizers had mentioned in their invitations only registered participants would attend the program.
He said the gate was temporarily locked by the police.
“After that, the seminar continued throughout the day,” he added. “If we had wanted to stop the seminar, or if the state had wanted to stop it forcefully, would the seminar have been allowed to take place?”


Seven Pakistanis, including two women, feature in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list this year

Updated 18 May 2024
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Seven Pakistanis, including two women, feature in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list this year

  • The American magazine annually compiles the list to celebrate 300 young people for their innovative abilities
  • The seven Pakistanis have contributed to the fields of art and finance along with enterprise and consumer technology

ISLAMABAD: Two women among a group of seven Pakistanis were featured in the popular Forbes 30 Under 30 list this week, earning international recognition for their leadership abilities in their respective professional fields.
The American business magazine annually compiles the 30 Under 30 list to celebrate 300 remarkable individuals under the age of 30, selected across 10 categories, each featuring 30 standout figures.
These young leaders are recognized for their innovative contributions and influence in areas such as technology, arts, finance and science, marking them as trailblazers poised to shape the future of their industries in their respective regions.
Among the fintech entrepreneurs facilitating access to capital, Forbes named Lahore-based Aleena Nadeem on top, saying her company EduFi was helping more Pakistanis go to university.
“Nadeem’s concept is simple,” the magazine wrote. “She realized some paycheck-to-paycheck families couldn’t handle lump sum payments at the start of a semester— but could afford tuition paid monthly.”
“EduFi has partnered with 27 Pakistani colleges (a number that’s doubled in the past six months), who funnel prospective customers its way,” the article added. “It does its own credit-vetting, then pays tuition for approved students who repay the loan on a monthly basis as they study.”
It also mentioned Bushra Sultan, a Pakistani filmmaker, creative director and production designer, saying her work addressed her country’s constraints on women.

an undated file photo of Bushra Sultan, a Pakistani filmmaker, creative director and production designer. 


“Her most notable work is in fashion and beauty,” the magazine said. “A campaign for Demesne Couture called ‘Guria’ depicted two opulently dressed women being controlled like puppets by giant hands pulling strings, a comment on the country’s wedding industry and the demands made on brides.”
“Sultan is also known for her audacious ‘Chimera’ campaign featuring headless women,” it added.
Much like Nadeem, Pakistan’s Sarkhail Bawany was listed among the fintech entrepreneurs.
Bawany is the head of product at fintech company Abhi, which empowers workers to withdraw a percentage of their salary before the next paycheck when they need emergency cash.

An undated file photo of Pakistani enterprenure Pakistan’s Sarkhail Bawany. (Photo courtesy: LinkedIn/sarkhailbawany)


“Abhi works on a B2B2C model, partnering with companies such as Unilever Pakistan to offer the service as a benefit to employees,” Forbes said, adding the company had also expanded to the Middle East and Bangladesh.
Others Pakistanis on the list include Kasra Zunnaiyyer, the co-founder of Karachi-based Trukkr, which has developed a management platform for Pakistan’s logistics sector. Zunnaiyyer made it to the Forbes list in the Enterprise Technology category.
The line-up also had Adeel Abid, Aizaz Nayyer and Ali Raza, who established the Karachi-based platform for freelancers called Linkstar.
“The company helps freelancers create free portfolio websites that can be upgraded with advanced functionalities such as international payments and social media integration,” the magazine announced.


Pakistan calls for removal of technology restrictions to aid developing nations at UN meeting

Updated 18 May 2024
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Pakistan calls for removal of technology restrictions to aid developing nations at UN meeting

  • Access to emerging technologies in the Global South is often influenced by geopolitical concerns
  • Pakistan says equitable access to technology can help developing nations meet future challenges

ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani diplomat at the United Nations urged technology-producing nations on Friday to remove restrictions on the equitable spread of scientific knowledge and equipment, saying it would help advance developing countries.

Access to emerging technologies in the Global South is often influenced by geopolitical concerns, as international relations and trade policies can dictate the availability and distribution of these resources.

This geopolitical gatekeeping not only restricts technological advancement in less developed nations but also perpetuates global inequities in access to cutting-edge tools and innovations.

In case of Pakistan, US export controls limit access to high-end technologies, particularly those with dual-use capabilities that might be diverted for military purposes.

“Unless fair and equitable access to new and emerging technologies is provided to developing countries, and all undue restrictions removed, the Global South will lag even further behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, told a Security Council meeting.

According to an official statement, he underscored the transformative power of science in improving lives and anticipating threats through climate modeling, disease surveillance, and early warning systems.

Additionally, he highlighted Pakistan’s significant strides in nuclear technology, space exploration and biotechnology, saying that his country wanted to leverage scientific advancements for progress and stability.

“New and emerging technologies play an undeniable role in the progress of any society and in maintaining international peace and security when used in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” he continued.

Ambassador Jadoon mentioned Pakistan’s concerns about the unregulated military applications of emerging technologies and supported calls for establishing legally-binding norms to regulate their use, ensuring regional and global stability.

He affirmed his country’s commitment to unlocking the potential of science for peace and progress, advocating for responsible scientific practices and international cooperation to build a safer and more prosperous future.