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India’s federal power minister on Tuesday asked the states that are away from coal resources to consider setting up nuclear-based power plants, besides identifying and listing the power utilities to meet investments to support growing power demand.

The Indian government in its federal budget this year had proposed to partner with private players to develop small nuclear reactors to increase the amount of electricity from sources that do not produce carbon dioxide emissions.

States should consider setting up nuclear power plants at the sites where coal-based thermal power plants have completed their life, Manohar Lal, the country’s power minister, told states as per a government statement.

India’s stringent nuclear compensation laws have hampered talks with foreign power plant builders such as General Electric GE.N and Westinghouse.

The country, which currently has about 8 gigawatts of nuclear capacity, aims to increase it to 20 GW by 2032.

The minister also asked the states to identify and list their power utilities in the country’s stock exchange to meet increasing investment demand in the power sector as well as improve the transmission system to add more renewable capacity.

India has pledged to achieve a net zero carbon emission target by 2070 and has a target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030.

Nations have begun setting carbon-cutting targets for the decade ahead, and how ambitious these pledges are could make or break global efforts to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.

Nearly 200 countries are supposed to publish updated climate plans by early February, but so far only three have done so.

On Wednesday, the UK became the latest, announcing during the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan that it would raise its target to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

All eyes will be on other big polluters like China, India, and the United States, though future US climate action is unclear following Donald Trump’s election.

Why do they matter?

The world has agreed to try and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, but is nowhere near on track.

Above this threshold, scientists say humanity risks disastrous consequences from volatile weather to major ecological “tipping points” at land and sea.

Last month, the United Nations warned that even if all existing plans are implemented in full, temperatures would rise 2.6°C by the century’s end, a catastrophic outcome.

The UN says the next round of climate plans must show a “quantum leap” in ambition to avert the worst.

The G20 — which accounts for 77 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions — is under particular pressure to step up.

Early movers

Just before COP29 opened in Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates announced a 47pc reduction in emissions by 2035 compared with 2019 in its updated climate plan.

Observers said the roadmap failed to account for exported emissions —including those from its sales of crude oil abroad.

Next year’s UN climate host, Brazil, has partly unveiled its plan, increasing its emissions reduction target from a 59pc cut by 2035, from 2005 levels, to a 67pc reduction.

It is expected to unveil a more complete plan during COP29.

Plans from other major emitters, like the European Union and China, are not expected until next year.

And the current US government could soon outline Washington’s new pledge, despite questions over Trump following through once in office.

David Waskow, of the World Resources Institute, said it would help guide American cities, states and businesses wishing to continue climate action under Trump.

“It also sends an important signal internationally, a set of benchmarks for what the US ought to do,” he added.

What do countries need to do?

By signing the Paris accord, nearly 200 nations agreed to halt rising temperatures “well below 2°C” and strive for the safer goal of 1.5°C.

But it did not prescribe how to get there.

The deal left it up to countries to voluntarily chart their own plans and targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

These include emission reduction targets and measures to achieve them, such as rolling out renewable energy, electrifying transport, and ending deforestation.

There is no set template for countries to follow but richer countries —historically the largest emitters — have a responsibility to pledge the deepest emission cuts.

The plans must be reviewed every five years, with each update supposed to be more ambitious than the last. This time around countries are expected to improve their 2030 targets and outline economy-wide action they will take to 2035.

What’s the aim?

An agreement at last year’s COP28 climate summit “encouraged” countries to come forward with plans aligned with halting warming to 1.5°C.

To have a hope of meeting that goal, emissions must be slashed 42pc by 2030 and 57pc by 2035, the UN’s Environment Programme said last month.

Currently, however, emissions are continuing to rise.

Keeping 1.5°C on track would require a collective effort “only ever seen following a global conflict”, it added.

Without pulling together “on a scale and pace never seen before… the 1.5°C goal will soon be dead,” said UNEP executive director Inger Andersen.

The big moment for assessing progress towards the 1.5°C goal comes at a crunch COP30 climate summit in Brazil next year.

What about fossil fuels?

Scientists and the International Energy Agency have said that developing new fossil fuel projects is incompatible with halting warming to 1.5°C.

But many fossil fuel-producing countries argue that new oil and gas projects will be needed as the world transitions to net zero emissions.

Countries are under pressure to outline in their updated plans how they intend to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, something all nations agreed on at last year’s COP.

Header image: This picture taken on November 12 shows a wind turbine at the lignite-fired power station operated by German energy giant RWE near Neurath, western Germany. — AFP

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that debt cannot become the “acceptable new normal” in climate financing, as he addressed the challenges faced by developing countries within the global climate finance framework.

His statement came during a Climate Finance Round Table Conference organised by Pakistan on the sidelines of the two-day World Leaders Climate Action Summit, also known as COP29, currently being held in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku.

“We stand at a crucial threshold where global climate finance framework must be redefined to effectively meet the needs of vulnerable nations,” PM Shehbaz said.

He explained that financing in the form of loans increases the debt of developing nations and pushes them towards “mounting debt traps” which he referred to as “death traps”.

He added, “Debt cannot become the acceptable new normal in climate financing which is why we must resume focus on non-debt financing solutions enabling countries to fund climate initiatives.”

“Despite years of promises and commitments, the gaps are growing, leading to aggregate barriers in achieving objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).”

PM Shehbaz called climate financing an “urgent need of the hour”, stating that developing countries need to deliver Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and “need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current NDCs.”

The prime minister further urged donor countries to “fulfil their commitment” which is 4.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) and capitalise on existing climate funds.

“One such commitment is a $100bn annual climate pledge established a decade ago at COP15 [which] is now reported by OECD to have reached only $160bn,” he said.

PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan can relate to the “agony and pain of other vulnerable countries”, highlighting how the country faced two devastating floods.

“In 2022, one-third of Pakistan was under water and the country had to repurpose all development and climate funds for financing basic relief and humanitarian efforts,” he said.

Pakistan is ranked among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021. It has faced increasingly frequent and severe weather events, such as unprecedented floods, intense monsoon rains, devastating heat waves, rapid glacial melting and glacial lake outburst floods.

Pakistan witnessed devastating floods during the 2022 monsoon season, induced by climate change, resulting in the loss of at least 1,700 lives.

With 33 million people affected and swathes of agricultural land washed away, the damage incurred losses worth $30 billion, according to government estimates.

In June 2024, a heat wave brought record-high temperatures, severely impacting public health and agriculture.

While emphasising transparency and coordination in financial commitments made to developing countries, he stated that Pakistan alongside other developing countries, calls for stronger more equitable climate finance mechanisms under the UNFCCC.

He reiterated the pertinent need for reform of international financial architecture saying that “now is the time to build up on the momentum for international financial reforms” so that no nation is left behind in the global response to climate change.

PM to highlight ‘balanced and ambitious’ climate action

According to the Foreign Office, several high-level events and roundtable discussions hosted by Pakistan will also take place at the Pakistan Pavilion during COP29.

It added that at COP29, Pakistan will call for “balanced and ambitious progress on all issues such as loss and damage, adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation”.

“It will seek predictable financing to address developing countries’ climate goals. Pakistan will also underscore the historical responsibility and the principle of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibility and call on developed nations to undertake deeper emission cuts.”

PM Shehbaz was warmly received by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and UN Secretary-General António Guterres upon his arrival at the summit venue today, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

The first day of the Climate Action Summit will feature statements from various heads of states, beginning from 3pm Pakistan time.

Speakers include the United Kingdom’s PM Keir Starmer, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Among those scheduled to address the high-level meeting tomorrow, besides PM Shehbaz, are Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus and Russia’s PM Mikhail Mishustin.

PM Shehbaz is listed as the 37th speaker out of 47 leaders during the session scheduled from 10am to 6pm (Pakistan time).

The prime minister will also participate in a high-level event ‘Glaciers 2025: Actions for Glaciers’ organised by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon on the protection of glaciers.

PM Shehbaz will also hold separate meetings with the prime ministers of Denmark and the Czech Republic, who are also attending COP-29, Radio Pakistan stated.

PM meets world leaders

On the sidelines of COP29, PM Shehbaz interacted with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed cooperation on climate change and matters of mutual interest, Radio Pakistan reported.

The premier also met with PM Starmer, where the two discussed enhancing Pakistan-UK cooperation.

He also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan, where they discussed environmental pollution as well as matters of mutual interest between the two friendly nations, the report added.

In his interactions with Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel and Bangladesh’s Yunus, PM Shehbaz discussed growing temperatures, the threat of rising sea levels, and forest conservation in South Asia.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and PM Shehbaz explored strengthening bilateral relations as well as expanding regional connectivity.

In his meetings with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajikistan’s Rahmon, the leaders spoke about the conservation of glaciers and water resources in Central Asian countries and Pakistan.

They also exchanged views on expanding communication links among Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Radio Pakistan highlighted.

World leaders meet for climate talks, but big names missing

Dozens of world leaders convene in Azerbaijan for COP29 but many big names are skipping the UN climate talks where the impact of Donald Trump’s election victory is keenly felt.

UK’s Starmer will unveil an “ambitious” update to the UK’s climate goals later today, and said he wanted his country “to show leadership on the climate challenge.”

Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron are among G20 leaders missing the event, where uncertainty over future US unity on climate action hung over the opening day.

“It’s not an ideal situation,” acknowledged Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s environment minister. “But in 30 years of COP, it’s not the first time that we’ve faced obstacles,” he told AFP.

“Certainly, everything is still possible.”

Washington’s top climate envoy John Podesta is seeking to reassure countries in Baku that Trump’s re-election will not end US efforts on global warming, even if the issue will be “on the back burner”.

But despite calls for global cooperation, the opening day got off to a rocky start, with feuds over the official agenda delaying by hours the start of formal proceedings in the stadium venue near the Caspian Sea.

“This will be a tough COP,” said Fernanda Carvalho, global climate and energy policy lead at WWF.

“Countries are divided. There is a lack of trust,” she told AFP, and divisions over climate finance “will be reflected in every room of those negotiations.”

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday announced that the recently established constitutional bench will start hearing cases on November 14 and 15.

Earlier, the SC constituted a three-judge committee to fix cases, issue court rosters, form benches, and decide weekly caseload for its recently established constitutional bench.

The committee held a meeting today which was chaired by Justice Aminud Din Khan (head of the constitutional bench) and attended by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, who participated through a telephone call from Karachi.

The SC said in a press release, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss matters for the formation of the constitutional bench.

During the meeting, the committee was briefed by the court’s registrar’s office regarding the pending constitutional cases, the statement said adding, “[The] committee resolved that priority shall be accorded to the oldest cases.”

On Nov 5, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), in its maiden session, had picked Justice Amin as head of the constitutional bench by a seven-to-five majority.

Chaired by Chief Jus­tice of Pakistan (CJP) Jus­tice Yahya Afridi, the reconstituted JCP for­m­ed a seven-member con­stitutional bench, inc­­luding Justices Ami­nud Din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muha­m­mad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha A. Malik, Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Musarrat Hilali and Naeem Akhtar Afghan.

Today’s press release mentioned that Justice Ayesha Malik will not be available on Nov 14 and 15 and “a bench comprising all available Judges shall be constituted to proceed with cases on these dates.”

The SC Registrar Muh­ammad Salim Khan released the court roster of a six-member constitutional bench which will begin hearing cases at 9:30am on Nov 14.

The bench will include Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.

The SC directed the Registrar to schedule cases for hearing before the bench.

The next meeting of the committee will be held on Nov 13 at 12:30pm after Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar arrives in Islamabad.

TEHRAN: Iranian bank cards can now be used in Russia, state television reported, as the two countries linked their banking systems in the latest bid to counteract sanctions.

Iranian banks have been excluded since 2018 from the SWIFT international financial messaging service, which governs the vast majority of transactions worldwide.

The move is part of a raft of sanctions that were re-imposed on Iran after the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.

Iranian bank cards can now be used in Russia, state television channel IRINN said on Monday, showing the withdrawal of money using an Iranian bank card from an ATM in Russia.

Iranians can now use their cards in Russia to pay for in-store purchases

The operation was made possible by connecting Iran’s interbank network Shetab to its Russian equivalent Mir, the channel said.

Iranians can currently withdraw money in Russia, and will in the future be able to use their cards to pay for in-store purchases, it added.

“The plan is also going to be implemented in other countries that have a wide range of financial and social interactions with Iran, for example Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkiye,” it said.

Both Iran and Russia have sought to counteract the effects of sanctions on their economies.

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has faced mounting sanctions, and its ties with Tehran have grown closer in parallel.

Ukraine and its Western allies have since the start of the conflict accused Iran of supplying Russia with both drones and missiles for use in the war.

Tehran and Moscow signed an agreement in June to strengthen their cooperation in the banking sector.

In the future, Russians will also be able to use their bank cards in Iran, IRINN said, without specifying when.

Russia has been pushing for the creation of an international payment platform as an alternative to the SWIFT service, from which key Russian banks have also been excluded since 2022.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has observed that a long-term policy is needed to control smog, directing the Punjab government to take actions beyond mere paperwork.

Hearing environment-related petitions on Tues­day, Justice Shahid Karim remarked that the federal government should also be roped in to address the issue that plagues Punjab.

Advocate General for Pu­n­jab (AGP) Khalid Ish­aq and provincial Secr­e­tary of Transport Depar­t­ment Ahmed Javed Qazi also appeared before the court.

The judge noted that the current approach of the government was insufficient, saying that if smog had appeared in Septem­ber this time, it might turn up in August next year.

Justice Karim remar­ked that a 10-year policy was needed to combat the menace of smog. He ack­now­ledged that the sitting government performed better than its predecessors but there was still more work to be done.

He also hailed the performance of Environment Protection Department Director General Imran Hamid Sheikh, urging other departments to follow suit. He noted that the transport sector caused 70 to 80pc of environmental pollution due to the use of smuggled low-grade fuel.

The judge insisted on considering the future of industries established within Lahore, citing the example of Beijing where all industries were moved outside the city. He said Beijing had proposed solutions but the Punjab government didn’t take them seriously.

The AGP replied that there were challenges in the execution of China’s suggestions on smog and the court would be apprised of the matter soon.

He further told the court that a policy to combat smog had been devised and a budget had also been allocated. From next year, he said, the citizens might be asked to avoid holding weddings from October to December.

However, the judge suggested that the government could impose restrictions on weddings, limiting them to one event instead of three, alongside a one-dish policy.

Justice Karim regretted that the government took actions only when the court became aware of environmental issues. He said major construction projects in Lahore might need to be halted to control the situation.

The judge remarked that even government-owned Speedo buses emit significant smoke, what to talk about the private transport. He expressed concerns, saying the current smog would persist until January.

“This is a wake-up call for the government. Planning for the next year must begin immediately,” Justice Karim observed, adding that the planning was the responsibility of the government and the court did not want to intervene.

The judge was of the view that solving the school buses issue alone could reduce pollution significantly.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) decision to fix the minimum retail price (MRP) of tea at Rs1,200 per kg for levying sales tax would make the commodity more expensive, warned traders on Tuesday.

Pakistan Tea Association (PTA) Chairman Mohammad Altaf said the MRP at the import stage would have an adverse impact of Rs150-300 per kg on imported tea prices.

The flat MRP also ignores global tea prices hovering between 0.50 cents to over $3 per kg. Tea is imported in different packaging, with bulk shipments typically weighing more than 5kgs and around/approximately 80kgs. An 18 per cent general sales tax is already charged based on the imported tea.

He said before fixing the MRP for sales tax purposes, it is crucial to consider that the definition of “manufacturer” in Section 2(16) of the Sales Tax Act 1990, includes activities such as blending, mixing, processing, and packaging, as clarified in Circular No. 3(11) ST-L&P/2013-94433-R dated July 17, 2019. Based on this, tea imported for these processes qualifies as “raw material”.

Tea sellers warn FBR move will incentivise arrival of low-quality product via illegal channels

“According to judicial interpretations (e.g., CTO v. Rajasthan Taxchem Ltd., 2007) and definitions in Advanced Law Lexicon, “raw material” includes ingredients necessary for manufacturing. Tea used in blending and packaging clearly falls under this category, he added.

Accordingly, sales tax should be based on the import value, as per Subsection 46(f) of Section 2 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, rather than the minimum retail price, Altaf said.

Tea retail prices vary significantly due to numerous factors, including the company, method of sale (open or packaged), product quality, and regional differences. The PTA chief said that the flat MRP rate per kg also does not reflect the prices charged by most traders, manufacturers, and sellers.

The imposition of a flat rate per kg would have severe negative consequences for a large portion of the tea trade, which may result in reduced business activity and ultimately lead to a loss of revenue for the national exchequer via misusing several exemptions.

Two-thirds of Pakista­nis purchase tea at Rs700-950 per kg, reflecting socio-economic and regional price variations.

He said that MRP cannot be applied at the import stage as the tea has to follow various value-addition procedures before it is made shelf-ready. “This MRP disrupts the supply chain and eradicates the role of wholesalers and distributors who play a vital role in the business, while MRP at the import stage also eradicates the basic right of commercial imports,” the PTA chief observed.

Tea is a part of our daily diet, a staple food item, not a drink.

Most people in rural and urban areas consume tea as per their earnings. Further fixing of MRP will incentivise unscrupulous elements to exploit the situation, and thus, import of low-priced teas will find its way through illegal channels, Altaf feared.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

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