World’s 10 worst climate hotspots suffer 123 percent rise in acute hunger

on 06/01/2023

Ten of the world’s worst climate hotspots–those with the highest number of UN appeals driven by extreme weather events–have suffered a 123 percent rise in acute hunger over just the past six years, according to an Oxfam report published this week.
Gabriela Bucher, Oxfam International Executive Director, said: “Climate change is no longer a ticking bomb, it is exploding before our eyes. It is making extreme weather such as droughts, cyclones, and floods – which have increased five-fold over the past 50 years – more frequent and more deadly.”
The brief, ‘Hunger in a heating world’ found that those 10 climate hotspots—Somalia, Haiti, Djibouti, Kenya, Niger, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe—have repeatedly been battered by extreme weather over the last two decades. Today, 48 million people across those countries suffer acute hunger (up from 21 million in 2016), and 18 million people of them are on the brink of starvation.
“For millions of people already pummelled down by ongoing conflict, widening inequalities, and economic crises, repeated climate shocks are becoming a backbreaker. The onslaught of climate disasters is now outpacing poor people’s ability to cope, pushing them deeper into severe hunger,” said Bucher.
Somalia is facing its worst drought on record, and famine is expected to unfold in two of its districts: Baidoa and Burhakaba. One million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the drought. The country ranks 172nd out of 182 countries in terms of its readiness to cope with climate change.
In Kenya, the current drought has killed nearly 2.5 million livestock and left 2.4 million people hungry, including hundreds of thousands of children severely malnourished.
In Niger, 2.6 million people are facing acute hunger today (up 767 percent from 2016). Cereal production has crashed by nearly 40 percent, as frequent climatic shocks on top of ongoing conflict have made harvesting increasingly difficult. Production of staple foods such as millet and sorghum could plummet even further by 25 percent if global warming surpasses 2°C.
Burkina Faso has seen a staggering 1350 percent rise in hunger since 2016, with more than 3.4 million people in extreme hunger as of June 2022 due to armed conflict and worsening desertification of crop and pastoral lands. Global warming above 2°C would likely decrease cereal yields like millet and sorghum by 15–25 percent.
In Guatemala, a severe drought has contributed to the loss of close to 80 percent of the maize harvest and devastated coffee plantations.
Climate-fuelled hunger is a stark demonstration of global inequality. Countries that are least responsible for the climate crisis are suffering most from its impact and are also the least resourced to cope with it. Collectively responsible for just 0.13 percent of global carbon emissions, the 10 climate hotspots sit in the bottom third of countries least ready for climate change.
In contrast, polluting industrialized nations such as those of the G20 – which control 80 percent of the world’s economy – are together responsible for over three-quarters of the world’s carbon emissions.
Leaders of these nations continue to support mega-rich polluting companies that are often big supporters of their political campaigns. Fossil fuel companies’ daily profits have averaged $2.8 billion over the last 50 years. Less than 18 days of those profits would fund the entire UN humanitarian appeal for 2022 of $49 billion.
Important policy changes are equally needed to address the double crisis of climate and hunger. Unless massive and immediate action is taken, hunger will continue to spiral.
“Ahead of UN General Assembly meetings this week, and COP 27 in November, leaders, especially of rich polluting countries, must live up to their promises to cut emissions. They must pay for adaptation measures and loss and damage in low-income countries, as well as immediately inject lifesaving funds to meet the UN appeal to respond to the most impacted countries.
“We cannot fix the climate crisis without fixing the systemic inequalities in our food and energy systems. Increasing taxation on super polluters could easily cover the cost. Just 1 percent of the fossil fuel companies’ average annual profit would generate $10 billion, enough to cover most of the shortfall in funding the UN humanitarian food security appeal,” Bucher said.
Cancelling debt can also help governments free up resources to invest in climate mitigation.
“Rich and most polluting nations have a moral responsibility to compensate low-income countries most impacted by the climate crisis. This is an ethical obligation, not charity,” said Bucher. – (From Oxfam International Website)n

FPCCI emphasizes genuine structural reforms Taking loans, failing to reform create problem

on 11/09/2020

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry has stressed the need for serious structural reforms, with a keen focus on value-addition for sustainable economic growth, recommending the government to raise exports to double-digit of the GDP till the end of its term, as Pakistan’s exports have bounced back after witnessing a decline in last four months. The country’s exports have fetched $1.99 billion in July 2020, witnessing 5.8 percent growth in dollar terms.
FPCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar said that consistent borrowing by developing economies to shore up its reserves in desperate times is only to lead towards a debt trap. He said that borrowing from friendly countries should only be seen as a short-term solution to prevent reserves depletion and consequent further depreciation of the currency.
Mian Anjum Nisar stressed that focus should be on promoting exports and restricting imports alongside making the domestic industry more competitive and subsequently expand its export market.
He said that exports of goods and services are an injection into the circular flow of income leading to a rise in aggregate demand and an expansion of output, helping raise per capita incomes, and reduce extreme poverty especially in developing economies like Pakistan.
He said that world trade has not still come out of the dip in the wake of the lingering corona pandemic, as exports of regional countries including India and Bangladesh registered a decline but Pakistan’s exports bounced back, reporting around 5 percent growth in July 2020 compared with regional players. The exports went up in July 2020 after registering continued decline pre and post COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding market diversification, Mian Anjum Nisar pointed out that not much progress has been shown in this regard, as the exports still seem to be heavily dependent on traditional export markets. He underlined the need for evaluating geographical diversification to re-align the focus towards new opportunities. The government agencies will have to extend all kinds of necessary support to the exporters to achieve the targets, not only in terms of numbers but also with regards to intended policy outcomes.
Mian Anjum Nisar observed that the World Bank, IMF, and donor agencies should be considered as a stop-gap arrangement, which may have forced excessive devaluation, steep monetary tightening, cut in development, and defense expenditures. Loans simply serve to bridge the gap until the effects of the reforms take effect. The problem occurs if the country takes loans but fails to reform, he added.
While talking about tax policy, he maintained that the existing tax system is heavily skewed toward indirect taxation and a direct tax can certainly improve tax collection in some instances.
FPCCI president said the sustainable solution to Pakistan’s problems lies in the structural reforms, as we can see very large inefficiencies in tax collection. So, the tax compliance must be improved and the tax base is broadened. This cannot be achieved with a single policy change, but by a systemic approach, he added. He observed the government preferred direct taxation to meet revenue shortfall as opposed to resorting to increasing indirect taxes because direct taxes tend to be more progressive in nature, therefore, the burden on the lower-income strata of the population is lesser.
Mian Anjum Nisar emphasized that concentrating on import substitution is imperative to narrow import bills and certain imported products such as oil are of a fixed nature, therefore, the government needs to enhance focus on import substitution industries, as chemicals, agriculture, and steel are potential industries.
He said that undertaking structural reforms require political will. He said that the early signs from the government are positive and exhibit zero-tolerance against corruption. He said that enacting structural reforms, such as improvements in the tax collection system, bureaucracy, and ease of doing business requires major political will and strict implementation of policies, he added.
Quoting the central bank report, the FPCCI President said the current account deficit contracted to a six-year low, foreign exchange reserves increased, primary budget recorded a surplus, and core inflation eased. Importantly, export-based manufacturing showed signs of traction and construction activities picked up, indicating that the economy was on the path of recovery. However, further improvements need serious structural reforms to put the economy on a firm path of sustainable growth.

Multi Dimensional Methods of Spectroscopy

on 11/09/2020

The major concept in spectroscopy is a reverberation and its comparing full recurrence.
Resonances were first portrayed in quite a while, for example, pendulums. Mechanical frameworks that vibrate or waver will encounter huge sufficiency motions when they are driven at their full recurrence. A plot of sufficiency versus excitation recurrence will have a pinnacle focused on the reverberation recurrence. This plot is one sort of range, with the pinnacle regularly alluded to as an otherworldly line, and most ghastly lines have a comparable appearance. In numerous applications, the range is dictated by estimating changes in the power or recurrence of this vitality. The kinds of radiative vitality examined include: Electromagnetic radiation was the main wellspring of vitality utilized for spectroscopic investigations. Procedures that utilize electromagnetic radiation are regularly characterized by the frequency area of the range and incorporate a microwave, terahertz, infrared, close infrared, bright noticeable, x-beam, and gamma spectroscopy. Particles, as a result of their de Broglie waves, can likewise be a wellspring of radiative vitality. Both electron and neutron spectroscopy are generally utilized. For a molecule, its motor vitality decides its frequency. Acoustic spectroscopy includes emanated pressure waves. The dynamic mechanical examination can be utilized to give transmitting vitality, like acoustic waves, to strong materials. Nuclear spectroscopy was the principal utilization of spectroscopy created. Atomic retention spectroscopy and nuclear emanation spectroscopy include noticeable and bright light. These retentions and emanations frequently alluded to as nuclear unearthly lines are because of electronic changes of external shell electrons as they rise and tumble starting with one electron circle then onto the next. Particles additionally have particular x-beam spectra that are owing to the excitation of internal shell electrons to energized states.
Particles of various components have particular spectra and consequently, atomic spectroscopy takes into account the distinguishing proof and quantitation of an example’s essential arrangement. In the wake of creating the spectroscope, Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff found new components by watching their outflow spectra. Nuclear retention lines are seen in the sun based range and alluded to as Fraunhofer lines after their pioneer. An exhaustive clarification of the hydrogen range was an early achievement of quantum mechanics and clarified the Lamb move saw in the hydrogen range, which further prompted the advancement of quantum electrodynamics. A typical spectroscopic technique for investigation is Fourier change infrared spectroscopy, where substance bonds can be distinguished through their trademark infrared assimilation frequencies or frequencies. These assimilation attributes make infrared analyzers an important instrument in geoscience, natural science, and air science. For example, climatic gas checking has been encouraged by the advancement of economically accessible gas analyzers which can recognize carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, oxygen, and nitric oxide. Ultraviolet spectroscopy is utilized where solid retention of bright radiation happens in a substance. Such gatherings are known as chromophores and incorporate sweet-smelling gatherings, the conjugated arrangement of securities, carbonyl gatherings, etc. Atomic attractive reverberation spectroscopy distinguishes hydrogen molecules in explicit situations, and supplements both IR and ultraviolet spectroscopy. The utilization of Raman spectroscopy is developing for more authority applications.

ML-1 railway track project to be completed during current tenure

on 11/09/2020

Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has claimed that the new ML-1 railway track project would be completed during the tenure of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.
“We have full confidence in accomplishing the task of laying down a new track from Karachi to Peshawar before ending the period of this government,” he said in a private TV program.
ML-1 project was signed some fourteen years back and how he hoped that the mega railway project would provide a fast and comfortable traveling facility to the people of the country.
It merits mentioning that the Executive committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has already approved the project with the cost of $6.806 billion from Peshawar to Karachi (1872 KMs) including Havelian Dry Port and upgrading Walton Academy.
The project would cost $6.806 billion. According to the ministry of finance, the execution of the project shall be in 3 packages, and to avoid commitment charges, the loan amount for each package will be separately contracted.
Under this project existing 2,655 KM track will be upgraded. The speed of passenger trains shall increase from 65/110 KM/h to 165 KM/h and line capacity will increase from 34 to 137/171 trains each way per day.
Also, the project has a project steering committee for effective supervision and implementation of the project.
The line is 1,872 km long, including the 55 km long Taxila-Havelian section and 91 km long Lodhran-Khanewal section.
The project envisages upgrade of ML-1, the establishment of a dry port near Havelian Railway Station; upgrade of Pakistan Railway Academy Walton in Lahore; passenger facilities development of important railway stations, including Karachi, Hyderabad, and Rohri in Sindh;
Multan, Lahore, and Rawalpindi in Punjab and Naushehra and Peshawar in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Exxon, Mitsubishi to start building LNG terminals this year

on 11/09/2020

Of the five, two multinational companies are reportedly set to start physical work on setting up Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals during the next few months.
Under its ease-of-doing-business strategy, the government had allowed five private sector companies to establish their LNG terminals in Pakistan.
Exxon Consortium and Mitsubishi are ready to start physical work on their projects before the end of the current year,” a senior official privy to petroleum sector developments told APP.
All agreements, permissions, and arrangements in that regard have almost been finalized, he added. After setting up the terminals, he said, the companies would import and sell the commodity on their own without any involvement of the government except regulation matters. Replying to a question, the official said a formula already existed under which the private sector could import LNG as per its requirements, get it injected into the existing gas transmission network and receive at industrial units.
The official said private sector companies including Exxon, Shell, and Mitsubishi besides Spanish and French firms were poised to establish LNG terminals in Pakistan, having the capacity to re-gasify 500-700 Million Cubic Feet per day (MMCFD) gas each, in Pakistan. These companies are considered the world leading players in the energy sector. He said the federal cabinet had cleared the private sector companies, adding “A terminal, as per international standard, takes almost two years to complete once its construction starts.”
Currently, the official said, two LNG terminals were operating at Port Qasim Karachi and injecting around 1,200 MMCFD gas in the distribution network of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company. Replying to a query, he said the previous government itself made LNG import contracts at exorbitant that involved billions of dollars financial commitments.
But, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was importing additional LNG at around 20 to 25 percent reduced rate for the last one-and-half years as compared to the old deals made by the previous regime.
He said the country’s existing natural gas reservoirs were depleting fast at a rate of 9.5 percent annually, and the LNG was the only available instant remedy to bridge the increased gap between demand and supply of the country. Currently, the country’s indigenous gas production is around 3.7 Billion Cubic Feet per Day against the demand of 6 BCFD. According to a recent report of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, the gap between demand and supply of gas could increase by 5,389 Million Cubic Feet per Day (MMCFD) by 2029-30.