Pakistan’s mangrove carbon credit sales hit $40mn, boosts target to $12bn by 2075

Woman gardener plants mangroves in Village Haji Doongar Jatt in Sujawal District on August 14, 2023 to mark the start of the Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) - 2 project, which aims to plant and restore mangroves. (AN Photo/ Zulfiqar Kunbhar)
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Updated 18 August 2023
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Pakistan’s mangrove carbon credit sales hit $40mn, boosts target to $12bn by 2075

  • Sindh launches Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) — 2 mangrove plantation, restoration project in coastal districts of Badin, Sujawal
  • Combined foreign direct investment in mangrove plantation project expected to reach $100 million, as per official data

SUJAWAL, SINDH: Cash-starved Pakistan raised its carbon trading sales target this month to $12 billion by launching a new mangrove plantation project at the Indus Delta in the country’s southern Sindh province that has till date sold $40 million worth of carbon credits, officials confirmed.

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. According to the Sindh Forest Department (SFD), Indus Delta mangroves are unique as they are the largest arid climate mangroves in the world.

With the help of foreign private funding, on August 14, 2023, the SFD launched the new Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) — 2 mangrove plantation and restoration project in the coastal districts of Badin and Sujawal in Sindh. The DBC-2 is a continuation of the 60-year-long Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) — 1 mangrove restoration and plantation project that began in the Indus Delta in 2015 and is still carrying on.

“The current size of the Indus Delta is 670,000 hectares while the Sindh Forest Department aims to complete mangrove restoration and plantation in the Indus Delta on 450,000 hectares by 2030 though DBC-1 and DBC-2 projects,” Riaz Ahmed Wagan, chief conservator of forests in the Sindh Forest Department, told Arab News.




Women gardeners gesture for a group photo at an event to mark the start of the Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) - 2 project, aims to plant and restore mangroves, in Village Haji Doongar Jatt in Sujawal District on August 14, 2023. (AN Photo/ Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

“The ongoing DBC-1 project focuses on 250,000 hectares, while the new DBC-2 project plans to add 200,000 hectares in mangrove growth,” he added.

The forest department official said Sindh’s Indus Delta mangrove plantation is currently Pakistan’s only carbon credits seller project. These projects are designed to reduce or remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and the resulting credits can be bought and sold on the carbon market.

Wagan said Sindh estimated to generate $7 billion in certified emission reductions (CERs) by completing the DBC-1 project by 2075. With the introduction of the DBC-2 initiative, the province aims to add an additional $5 billion by the same year, he added.

“As a result, through the combined projects Sindh is projected now to yield earnings of $12 billion by the year 2075 through carbon credit afforestation sales,” Wagan said.




This photo shows a mangrove nursery at the launch of Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) - 2 project, aiming to plant and restore mangroves, in Village Haji Doongar Jatt in Sujawal District on August 14, 2023. (AN Photo/ Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination document much of the original area where mangroves were planted has been degraded in the Indus Delta, primarily due to freshwater diversion, over-exploitation (wood, fodder, and grazing), and land-based pollution.

The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty of which Pakistan is also a signatory, was established in 1997 and enforced in 2005. The treaty aimed to combat climate change and set mandatory emission reduction goals for developed nations.

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) lets countries that promised to lower their emissions as part of the Kyoto Protocol, work on projects that reduce pollution in poorer countries. These projects can earn them credits called certified emission reductions (CERs), which help them meet their Kyoto goals.

Pakistan is currently among the top ten countries most impacted by climate change in the world. Officials say as a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol, Pakistan is also making efforts to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. The Indus Delta mangrove plantation is a part of these efforts.




Male gardeners gesture for a group photo at an event to mark the start of the Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) - 2 project, aims to plant and restore mangroves, in Village Haji Doongar Jatt in Sujawal District on August 14, 2023. (AN Photo/ Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

 As per official figures, Pakistan’s emissions in 2018 totaled 489.87 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e), accounting for around 0.50 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. This suggests that the DBC-1 and DBC-2 emissions credits projects will approximately be equal to half of the country’s emissions.

“The combined carbon offsetting of Pakistan through the DBC-1 and DBC-2 projects is anticipated to reach 240 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e),” Wagan noted.

“Within this, DBC-1 is projected to capture 140 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) through carbon credits, while DBC-2 is expected to reduce approximately 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) through carbon credits.”

As per official figures, Sindh has sold 3.1 million carbon credits as of now, worth $40 million. By 2075, Sindh is expected to create 140 million carbon credits in the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) — a global system to trade carbon offsets.




A woman gardener poses for a photo while planting mangroves in Village Haji Doongar Jatt in Sujawal District on August 14, 2023 to mark the start of the Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) - 2 project, which aims to plant and restore mangroves. (AN Photo/ Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

To date, Sindh has sold a total of $40 million worth of carbon credits in the carbon credit market through DBC-1. The value per carbon credit sold by Sindh has ranged from $12 to $50, reflecting variations in the market, Wagan said.

According to official statistics, combined foreign direct investment in DBC-1 and DBC-2 is projected to reach around $100 million, with an estimated investment of $60 million in DBC-1 and an anticipated investment of $40 million in DBC-2.

According to Waqar Hussain, a senior official at Environment, Climate Change & Coastal Development Department Sindh, the increasing mangrove cover in the Indus Delta would have a positive impact on the economy.

“Mangroves have the ability to absorb four times more carbon dioxide than other trees,” he said. “They act as protective barriers against cyclones and create habitats for aquatic life, benefiting fishing,” Hussain added.




A male gardener poses for a photo while planting mangroves in Village Haji Doongar Jatt in Sujawal District on August 14, 2023, to mark the start of the Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) - 2 project, which aims to plant and restore mangroves. (AN Photo/ Zulfiqar Kunbhar)

 


Pakistani forces kill 11 militants in restive northwest amid surge in attacks

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Pakistani forces kill 11 militants in restive northwest amid surge in attacks

  • The militants were killed in separate engagements in Tank, North Waziristan and Mohmand districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
  • Pakistan has blamed a surge in militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed 11 militants in separate operations in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Wednesday, amid a surge in attacks in the region.

Seven militants were killed during an exchange of fire in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in KP’s Tank district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.

Two militants were killed in an encounter in North Waziristan district, while a third operation in Mohmand district killed two more militants, following an intense exchange of fire.

“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from killed khwarij [militants], who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as innocent civilians,” the ISPR said in a statement late Wednesday.

“Sanitization operations are being carried out to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area.”

Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that targeted security forces convoys and check posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.

Earlier this month, six Pakistani soldiers and 22 militants were killed in three separate gunfights in Tank, North Waziristan and Kurram districts of KP, according to the military.

Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.

Afghan officials, however, deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.


In ‘hope’ ambulances with women drivers in Pakistan’s Sanghar district

Updated 12 min 4 sec ago
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In ‘hope’ ambulances with women drivers in Pakistan’s Sanghar district

  • Sindh Integrated Emergency & Health Services employed the province’s first two women ambulance drivers in June
  • Employing women is a bold move by SIEHS in a conservative province where women are often denied the most basic rights

SANGHAR, Sindh: Irum Jatt’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as the ambulance she was driving zipped through the roads of the southern Pakistani city of Sanghar earlier this month, sirens blaring to warn other cars and pedestrians to move out of the way. 

While a woman driving an ambulance is no anomaly in cities like London or New York, in this remote, conservative town in Sindh province, Jatt, 21 and another colleague Shereen Shah, 22, made history in June when they were hired as the first women ambulance drivers for the Sindh Integrated Emergency & Health Services (SIEHS), a semi-governmental organization operating around 283 “HOPE” ambulances across the province. 

Established in 2021, SIEHS employs 750 Emergency Vehicle Operators (EVOs) and launched operations in Sanghar in October 2023 with three ambulances.

In conservative and patriarchal Pakistan, where the right to education, employment and even voting is sometimes not extended to women, employing female ambulance drivers was a bold move by SIEHS and one that has not even been experimented with in large urban centers of the province such as Karachi and Hyderabad. Women in Sindh in general also face many challenges such as discrimination, violence, and limited access to health, education and job opportunities.

“Many people believed that it wasn’t possible,” Jatt told Arab News in an interview as she drove on a road in main Sanghar city. 

“But there’s something within a person, a passion that drives them to do something. I felt the same, I wanted to do it, I wanted to drive an ambulance.”

Jatt, an intermediate degree graduate, saw the job opening for an ambulance driver on social media and applied, having to go through several rounds of tests before her selection. 

“On the road, it’s common for people to stare when they see a woman driving,” Jatt said. 

“Many people don’t give way. While leaving our Sanghar city, motorcyclists don’t give way, and we have to face all of that.”

Negative stereotypes and biases, including that women were bad drivers or drove slowly, also made the job harder, she said. 

“Some good people get it but there are communities that don’t understand and say things like, ‘You arrived late,’ or ‘You deliberately delayed’. Some might even think, ‘Because it was a woman driving, it took longer’.”

Mumtaz Ali Pirzada, the district manager at the SIEHS, acknowledged the initial resistance by the community to the women ambulance drivers.

“When we first inducted female drivers in Sanghar, and we did and in the future also we will do it, there was significant backlash on social media, most people asked how can a woman drive an ambulance,” he said. 

“But we have broken that stereotype. These women have broken it because they are doing all these things and doing them with a lot of hard work.”

According to Pirzada, Shah and Jatt often outperformed their male counterparts. 

“But their success isn’t due to sympathy or special treatment, it’s purely their hard work and skills,” he added. “They even handle tasks like changing tires, including the heavy tires of ambulances, which challenges the traditional mindset that only men can manage such tasks.”

Shereen Shah, another women ambulance driver from Sanghar, said the response from the community was improving. 

“When we first started working here, people were shocked to see women driving ambulances, they thought we wouldn’t be able to handle it, that we might hit something,” she told Arab News as she stood by her vehicle. 

“But now, wherever we go, if the traffic police sees us, they salute us and the Sindh police also salute us. They feel proud of us.”

She said it was “so fulfilling” to be able to rescue people from road accidents and other emergencies and deliver them to medical facilities in a timely manner. 

“A few years ago, women rarely stepped out of their homes in this city,” she said. “But today, women are driving vehicles here and that’s a matter of pride for Sanghar.”


UN adopts Pakistan-sponsored resolution on self-determination, highlighting Palestinian plight

Updated 41 min 1 sec ago
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UN adopts Pakistan-sponsored resolution on self-determination, highlighting Palestinian plight

  • Pakistan has annually tabled the resolution for over four decades to highlight the struggles of oppressed people
  • The resolution addresses the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir, challenges colonial and foreign occupation

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution reaffirming the universal right to self-determination, said the foreign office on Wednesday, with a focus on people living under foreign occupation, including in Palestine and Indian-administered Kashmir.

Pakistan has annually tabled this resolution for over four decades to highlight the struggles of people denied self-determination under colonial domination or foreign subjugation.

“The unanimous adoption of this resolution reflects the collective will of UN member states and strengthens the principle of self-determination, as enshrined in international law, including the UN Charter and the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights, and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” the foreign office said.

“The resolution highlights the plight of people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine, reinforcing international support for their legitimate aspirations for self-determination,” it added.

Adopted by consensus, the resolution was supported and co-sponsored by a large number of countries from different regions around the world.

It underscores the inalienable right of all peoples to self-determination as essential for advancing human rights globally, sending a message of solidarity to populations struggling against foreign occupation, while calling for an end to intervention and aggression.

The foreign office said the adoption of the resolution demonstrated Pakistan’s leadership in advocating for the rights of oppressed peoples and maintaining the principle of self-determination as a cornerstone of international justice and peace.


Islamabad decries ‘double standards’ as US imposes more sanctions on Pakistan missile program

Updated 9 min 56 sec ago
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Islamabad decries ‘double standards’ as US imposes more sanctions on Pakistan missile program

  • The State Department says the measures target ‘proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery’
  • Islamabad says the latest sanctions defy the ‘objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Thursday criticized the United States (US) for imposing more sanctions on the South Asian country’s missile program, saying it reflected “double standards and discriminatory practices.”

The statement came hours after US said it was imposing new sanctions related to nuclear-armed Pakistan’s long-range ballistic-missile program, including on the state-owned defense agency that oversees the program. The sanctions freeze any US property belonging to the targeted entities and bars Americans from doing business with them.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that the measures slapped on the National Development Complex and three firms were imposed under an executive order that “targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.”

In its reaction to the development, the Pakistani foreign ministry said the US decision was “unfortunate and biased” and that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities were meant to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia, regretting the imposition of sanctions on private commercial entities too.

“Similar listings of commercial entities in the past were based on mere doubts and suspicion without any evidence whatsoever. While claiming strict adherence to non-proliferation norms, licensing requirement for advanced military technology to other countries have been waived off in the past,” it said in a statement.

“Such double standards and discriminatory practices not only undermine the credibility of non-proliferation regimes but also endanger regional and international peace and security.”

A State Department factsheet said the Islamabad-based NDC had sought to obtain components for the country’s long-range ballistic-missile program and missile-testing equipment. It said the NDC “is responsible for the development of Pakistan’s ballistic missiles,” including the Shaheen family of missiles.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists research organization says the Shaheen series of missiles is nuclear-capable. Pakistan conducted its first nuclear-weapons test in 1998, becoming the seventh country to do so. The Bulletin estimates Pakistan’s arsenal at about 170 warheads.

Islamabad has refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of the international system designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

The other entities slapped with sanctions were Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited and Rockside Enterprise, all located in Karachi, the factsheet said. It said the companies worked with the NDC to acquire equipment.

“The United States will continue to act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern,” Miller said.

The Pakistani foreign ministry said the latest installment of sanctions defied the “objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries,” an apparent reference to Pakistan’s rivalry with nuclear-armed India.

“Such policies have dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond,” it said.


Pakistan completes survey of special economic zones to attract Chinese industries, foreign investment

Updated 19 December 2024
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Pakistan completes survey of special economic zones to attract Chinese industries, foreign investment

  • The survey included aerial assessments to identify resources and challenges of SEZs across the country
  • The government plans to adopt environmentally sustainable practices to run these industrial zones

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has completed a survey of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as part of efforts to facilitate the relocation of Chinese firms and make these zones suitable for international businesses, Federal Minister for Investment Abdul Aleem Khan said on Wednesday.
The government aims to attract foreign investment from friendly nations, including China and Gulf countries, and established the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a hybrid civil-military body, last year to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles and provide a one-window operation for foreign businesses.
The survey, which included aerial assessments using drone technology, identified the resources and challenges of SEZs across the country.
“These zones will incorporate special measures to facilitate the relocation of Chinese industries,” the investment minister was quoted as saying in an official statement, though he added the country would also welcome investments from other countries.
Officials in Islamabad and Beijing launched the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which initially focused on energy and infrastructure projects but now plans to transition into the next phase with an aim to boost industrial production and exports.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif undertook a five-day visit to China, where he met representatives of leading Chinese businesses and urged them to invest in Pakistan and relocate their operations to SEZs.
The development came as Pakistan recovers from a prolonged economic crisis with external financing, while the government acknowledges the need to enhance industrial and agricultural output and exports through increased international investment.
Khan directed Pakistani embassies to engage foreign investors actively and asked relevant officials to establish a “Pride of Pakistan” group for key international stakeholders.
He said the government aimed to introduce about 150 reforms to enhance SEZ operations and improve their overall efficiency.
The steps would include environmentally sustainable practices under the “Green Pakistan Investment” model, focusing on eco-friendly infrastructure, renewable energy and sustainability measures to attract global investors.
Specific zones, such as Karachi’s industrial hub, will be linked to Port Qasim with enhanced infrastructure and facilities.
The minister and other officials also discussed the construction of a business facilitation center in a meeting and reviewed the “Ease of Doing Business Act 2024,” which aims to streamline investment processes further.