LAHORE: The city’s air quality hit “Hazardous” levels on Monday morning, claiming the top spot in the global IQAir ranking with a US Air Quality Index (AQI) of 471 and PM2.5 concentration at 311 microgrammes per cubic metre at 8:00 a.m., according to IQAir’s live dashboard. The PM2.5 level was reported to be 62.2 times […]
climate
At least 47 dead as floods devastate central Mexico
At least 47 people have been killed after torrential rains triggered floods and landslides across central and eastern Mexico, leaving behind scenes of destruction and grief. The hardest-hit areas include the states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Queretaro, and Veracruz, where swollen rivers and mudslides have swept away homes and roads. In the mountain town of Huauchinango, […]
PM: Global support essential to combat environmental pollution
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the COP29 Climate Action Summit in Baku, urging swift global action and support for countries most affected by climate change. In his opening remarks, Shehbaz congratulated Azerbaijan’s president for hosting the event and highlighted the severe consequences faced by Pakistan and other vulnerable nations due to climate change. “Without timely […]
Europe temperature rise more than twice global average: UN
GENEVA: Temperatures in Europe have increased at more than twice the global average over the past three decades, showing the fastest rise of any continent on earth, the UN said Wednesday. The European region has on average seen temperatures rise 0.5 degrees Celsius each decade since 1991, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization and the European […]
Sunak defends decision not to attend COP27 climate summit
London: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday defended his heavily criticised decision not to attend next month’s COP27 climate change summit, saying he had to focus on “pressing” economic problems. In an interview with Sky News a day after Downing Street announced he was skipping the summit, the prime minister stressed he was “very […]
‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ targeted by climate activists
Climate activists glued themselves to Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” at a Dutch museum on Thursday in the latest stunt targeting famous artworks, but the painting was undamaged. Three people were arrested after the attack at The Hague’s Mauritshuis museum on the 1665 masterpiece which has inspired a bestselling novel and a Hollywood […]
Explosions, ‘unprecedented’ fire hit Berlin forest
BERLIN: An “unprecedented” fire broke out Thursday around a German police munitions storage site in a popular forest in western Berlin, sending plumes of smoke into the skies and setting off explosions. Firefighters were unable to tackle the blaze directly due to the danger of further blasts, with emergency services setting up a 1,000-metre (3,280-foot) […]
Pakistan to launch first ever National Climate Change Gender Action Plan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is going to launch its first-ever National Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAP) here on Wednesday with the aim to build capacities of the Ministry of Climate Change in institutional mechanism and mainstreaming gender in GCF (Green Climate Fund) funded projects. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in collaboration with the […]
ECB unveils plan to push climate-friendly investments
FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank on Monday unveiled plans to make its monetary policy greener but met with criticism from environmental groups who urged the Frankfurt-based institution to go further. The steps by the ECB’s governing council “aim to better take into account climate-related financial risk” and “support the green transition of the economy in […]
Kashmir, Afghanistan, climate, development issues, Pakistan’s key priorities at UN: Munir Akram
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, Thursday told the visiting 15-member Pakistani National Defence University (NDU) delegation that Islamabad’s key priorities are the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, peace in Afghanistan, development issues and climate change. Ambassador Akram made that statement during a meeting with the delegation, which comprised of senior officers from […]