Month: May 2020

While the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has engulfed an unprepared world there is the possibility of a silver lining in how we respond. As humans retreat under forced lockdowns, nature has made an eager and speedy comeback — rehabilitating, reenergising and reclaiming lost space while at the same time compelling us to recognise our extreme vulnerability to the destruction of the very ecosystem we live in. The two striking lessons emerging out of this catastrophic situation are that nature has an inherent capacity to quickly self-heal, if allowed the time and…

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“What you don’t see, you cannot feel.” This phrase was used by Tanzeela Qambrani, Pakistan’s first lawmaker of African descent, to encapsulate the plight of the impoverished communities living in the once-flourishing Indus delta. Qambrani, whose Sheedi community is concentrated in the coastal regions of Makran in Balochistan province and Sindh, said the level of poverty is “incredible”. Known as the vertebra of Pakistan’s ecology and economy, the Indus delta is the fifth largest in the world and home to the seventh biggest mangrove forest. In recognition of its international importance, the…

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A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy was held in Islamabad with Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar in the chair. The meeting was apprised about the progress on the formulation and approval of the Renewable Energy Policy and the introduction of competitive bidding process for the entry of new producers in the renewable energy sector of Pakistan. The CCOE directed the Power Division to expedite the process and report back to the committee. The committee also approved the proposals of the Ministry of Power regarding…

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Last week, the city of Los Angeles inked a deal for a solar-plus-storage system at a record-low price. The 400-MW Eland solar power project will be capable of storing 1,200 megawatt-hours of energy in lithium-ion batteries to meet demand at night. The project is a part of the city’s climate commitment to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Electricity and heat production are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Carbon-free electricity will be critical for keeping the average global temperature rise to within the United…

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French supermajor Total proved more resilient than some peers in the first quarter, remaining profitable despite a 35-percent decline in net income to $1.8 billion. The company said it would continue to distribute dividends, unchanged from last year’s first quarter. Total also declared a goal of becoming net neutral in terms of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 despite the challenging oil price environment. Noting that this was in line with European Union emissions goals, the French supermajor said it is already working to reduce its carbon footprint by expanding its…

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