Viking-age urn in Galloway Hoard originated in Iran, researchers discover

The vessel was found as part of the hoard uncovered in Kirkcudbrightshire a decade ago.

PA Media

The Galloway Hoard vessel is estimated to be around 1,100 years old

 (National Museums Scotland/PA)


Research has revealed the origins of a “remarkable” lidded urn that is more than 1,000 years old.

The Galloway Hoard is a collection of ancient treasures which was discovered 10 years ago.

The lidded vessel, which contained a number of items, has been found to be of west Asian origin.

The urn was found in 2014 wrapped in textiles, which themselves were considered an extremely rare survival.

The hoard is estimated to have been created around 900AD, and was discovered by excavators near Balmaghie in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire.

The textiles were studied and retained for further analysis, and laser cleaning has helped reveal further details of the vessel including crowns, fire altars, leopards and tigers.

The imagery is considered unusual in western Europe, with researchers stating it is associated with Zoroastrianism, the state religion of the Sasnian Empire in Iran, before Islam became the more widely practised faith during the 7th and 8th centuries.

New scientific analysis has confirmed the materials used to make the vessel originated in what is now central Iran.

Dr Martin Goldberg, from National Museums Scotland, said: “We had suspected from X-ray scanning the vessel that it may have originated somewhere in central or western Asia, but it’s only now that we’ve carefully conserved and analysed it that we can say this is definitively the case.

“It’s further evidence of the cosmopolitan make-up of the Galloway Hoard. We now know that the Viking-age silver that makes up most of the hoard was melted down from coins and metalwork from early medieval England.

“Some objects, like the lidded vessel, stood out from the rest and the scientific analysis now confirms this.

“It is incredible to imagine how the vessel made its journey halfway round the known world, from Iran to this distant corner of south-west Scotland.”

Dr Jane Kershaw, an expert on Viking-age silver from the University of Oxford, added: “Taking tiny samples from both the vessel body and the niello – the black silver-sulphide inlays that outline the decoration – we assessed the provenance of the silver.

“It was immediately clear that the vessel was unlike any other silver contained in the hoard: instead, the results point to origins in the Sasanian Empire, what is today Iran.

“Elemental analysis using portable X-ray fluorescence revealed that the vessel is an alloy of silver and relatively pure copper, which is typical of Sasanian silver, but not contemporary European silver.

“In addition, the isotopes of the lead contained within the silver metal and niello match ore from Iran. We can even go so far as to say that the niello derives from the famous mine of Nakhlak in central Iran.

“It’s fantastic to have scientific confirmation for the distant origins of this remarkable object.”

The vessel will go on display for the first time later this month as part of the British Museum’s forthcoming exhibition, Silk Roads, in London.

Other objects from the Galloway Hoard will go on long-term display at the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh, while a portion will go on show at Kirkcudbright Galleries.

Dr Sue Brunning, from the British Museum, said: “We’re delighted that visitors to Silk Roads will be the first in the world to see this key object from the Galloway Hoard.

“Among its remarkable contents were Scotland’s earliest recorded silk, and so it is a highly appropriate inclusion in the exhibition.

“For the first time it will be displayed alongside a similar vessel found in northern Britain and also used as a Viking-age treasure container, but the Galloway vessel is the only one confirmed as originating beyond Europe, in lands far to the east.

“It was, itself, a long-distance traveller on the Silk Roads’ sprawling networks.”

Bird species extinct in Europe returns, and humans must help it migrate

September 01, 2024

By Associated Press

This photo provide by Waldrappteam Conservation & Research shows the migration from Northern Bald Ibis, or the Waldrapp, supported by foster parents of the birds in a microlight aircraft, in September 2022.


PATERZELL, Germany —

How do you teach a bird how, and where, to fly?

The distinctive northern bald ibis, hunted essentially to extinction by the 17th century, was revived by breeding and rewilding efforts over the last two decades. But the birds — known for their distinctive black-and-iridescent green plumage, bald red head and long curved beak — don't instinctively know which direction to fly to migrate without the guidance of wild-born elders. So a team of scientists and conservationists stepped in as foster parents and flight instructors.

"We have to teach them the migration route," said biologist Johannes Fritz.

The northern bald ibis once soared over North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and much of Europe, including southern Germany's Bavaria. The migratory birds were also considered a delicacy, and the bird, known as the Waldrapp in German, disappeared from Europe, though a few colonies elsewhere survived.

The efforts of Fritz and the Waldrappteam, a conservation and research group based in Austria, brought the Central European population from zero to almost 300 since the start of their project in 2002.

This photo provide by Waldrappteam Conservation & Research shows the migration from Northern Bald Ibis, or the Waldrapp from Seekirchen am Wallersee in Austria to Oasi Laguna di Orbetello in Italy during August and September 2022.

The feat moved the species from a "critically endangered" classification to "endangered" and, Fritz says, is the first attempt to reintroduce a continentally extinct migratory bird species.

But while northern bald ibises still display the natural urge to migrate, they don't know which direction to fly without the guidance of wild-born elders. The Waldrappteam's early reintroduction attempts were largely unsuccessful because, without teaching the birds the migration route, most disappeared soon after release. Instead of returning to suitable wintering grounds such as Tuscany, Italy, they flew in different directions and ultimately died.

So the Waldrappteam stepped in as foster parents and flight instructors for the Central European population, which was made up of descendants from multiple zoo colonies and released into the wild in the hopes of creating a migratory group. This year marks the 17th journey with human-led migration guides, and the second time they've been forced to pilot a new route to Spain due to climate change.

To prepare them for travel, the chicks are removed from their breeding colonies when they are just a few days old. They are taken to an aviary that's overseen by the foster parents in the hopes of "imprinting" — when the birds will bond with those humans to ultimately trust them along the migration route.

Barbara Steininger, a Waldrapp team foster mother, said she acts like "their bird mom."

"We feed them, we clean them, we clean their nests. We take good care of them and see that they are healthy birds," she said. "But also we interact with them."

Steininger and the other foster parents sit on the back of a microlight aircraft, waving and shouting encouragement through a bullhorn as it flies through the air.

It's a bizarre scene: The aircraft looks like a flying go-kart with a giant fan on the back and a yellow parachute keeping it aloft. Still, three dozen birds follow the contraption, piloted by Fritz, as it sails over alpine meadows and foothills.

Fritz was inspired by "Father Goose" Bill Lishman, a naturalist who taught Canadian geese to fly alongside his ultra-light plane beginning in 1988. He later guided endangered whooping cranes through safe routes and founded the nonprofit "Operation Migration." Lishman's work prompted the 1996 movie "Fly Away Home" but features a young girl as the geese's "mother."

Like Lishman, Fritz and his team's efforts have worked. The first bird independently migrated back to Bavaria in 2011 from Tuscany. More have flown the route that's upward of 550 kilometers (342 miles) each year, and the team hopes the Central European population will be more than 350 birds by 2028 and become self-sustaining.

But the effects of climate change mean the Waldrapp are migrating later in the season now, which forces them to cross the Alps in colder, more dangerous weather — without the aid of warm currents of air, known as thermals, that rise upward and help the birds soar without expending extra energy.

In response, the Waldrappteam piloted a new route in 2023, from Bavaria to Andalusia in southern Spain.

This year, the route is roughly 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) — some 300 kilometers (186 miles) longer than last year's path. Earlier this month from an airfield in Paterzell, in upper Bavaria, the team guided 36 birds along one stage through bright blue skies and a tailwind that increased their speed.

The entire journey to Spain could take up to 50 days and end in early October. But Fritz says the effort is bigger than just the northern bald ibises: It's about paving the way for other threatened migratory species to fly.

The Rise Of The Baloch Liberation Army In Pakistan

September 01, 2024 
By Abubakar Siddique

People look at a charred vehicle near a collapsed railway bridge a day after a blast by separatist Baloch Liberation Army militants at Kolpur in Bolan district, Balochistan Province, on August 27.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has waged an over 20-year insurgency against the Pakistani state, carrying out mostly small-scale attacks against government forces.

But that changed last week when the separatist militant group claimed responsibility for major coordinated attacks across the vast and impoverished southwestern province of Balochistan, killing over 70 people.

The bombings and shootings on August 25-26 were the deadliest in years in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran and is home to Pakistan’s Baluch ethnic minority.

Experts say the attacks highlight the growing strength of the BLA, which has boosted its recruitment and gained access to modern weapons. The U.S.-designated terrorist group has also adopted more lethal tactics like suicide bombings in recent years.

“These attacks were unprecedented and mark a new escalation in the tensions in Balochistan,” said Kiyya Baloch, a Pakistani journalist and commentator who tracks militancy in the region. “It shows the BLA’s determination to showcase its growing strength.”

Demonstrating Dominance

In an operation that began late on August 25, BLA fighters bombed a railway bridge linking the province to the rest of Pakistan, attacked police and military posts, and targeted buses and trucks on a major highway.

In the deadliest attack, BLA fighters stopped a bus and shot dead 23 of its passengers, many of whom were from Punjab, Pakistan's most populous and prosperous province.

The coordinated attacks coincided with the anniversary of the death of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti, who was killed by Pakistan's security forces in 2006.

Railway officials inspect the remains of a collapsed railway bridge the morning after a blast by separatist militants at Kolpur in Bolan district, Balochistan Province, on August 27.

Aziz Baloch, an independent security expert in Balochistan, said the BLA is keen “to demonstrate that it can demoralize the [Pakistani] Army” and establish itself as the “dominant militant group” in the province.

Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency and a brutal army crackdown for decades.

The BLA and other separatist Baluch groups seek independence from Pakistan, which they blame for exploiting the vast natural resources in Balochistan and committing grave human rights abuses in the region.

The BLA is considered the largest armed group operating in Balochistan. Experts believe the BLA has several thousand members.

Researchers have documented a sharp increase in the number of attacks carried out by Baluch groups so far this year.

Better Guns, Deadlier Tactics

Experts say the BLA has become a more organized and increasingly potent fighting force.

Pakistani militant groups, including the BLA, are believed to have obtained American weapons and military equipment. When U.S. and international forces pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, they left behind billions of dollars’ worth of military gear and weapons that were then seized by the Taliban after it captured power.

“Its acquisition of modern weapons has enhanced BLA’s combat capabilities,” said Baloch, the journalist and commentator.

Baloch added that the BLA, a secular group, has also adopted more lethal tactics used by Islamist militant groups like the Afghan Taliban and the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban.

They include the use of suicide bombings, improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and so-called complex attacks involving multiple attackers and vehicle-borne IEDs.

The Majeed Brigade, the BLA’s suicide squad, is believed to have carried out most of the group’s complex attacks.

In 2022, a 31-year-old mother became the first woman to carry out a suicide bombing for the BLA. The move was considered a “paradigm shift” by some observers.

Exploiting Local Anger

Experts say local factors have also strengthened the BLA.

Baloch, the security expert in Balochistan, said the BLA has been successful in recruiting Baluch youth. Around 65 percent of Balochistan’s population of 15 million are under the age of 30.

Pakistani soldiers inspect a collapsed railway a day after a blast by separatist BLA militants at Kolpur in Bolan district, Balochistan Province, on August 27.

“They have a lot of manpower and have been attracting female [recruits], too,” he said.

Baloch, the journalist and commentator, said poverty, high unemployment, alleged abuses by the authorities, and political suppression have made Balochistan a “fertile ground for the BLA to attract and recruit more youth.”

Many BLA leaders and fighters are former trained professionals and university students.

Observers say Pakistan has resorted to brute force to crush successive Baluch insurgencies and ignored the long-standing grievances of the Baluch ethnic minority.

“The BLA is a manifestation of the state’s failure to manage and govern Balochistan,” said Baloch, the security expert.

Abdul Malik Baloch, a politician and former chief minister of Balochistan, said many Baluch are becoming increasingly disillusioned with what they call Islamabad’s political meddling in the province.

Baloch said rigged elections in Balochistan aimed at empowering pro-Islamabad figures have disenchanted those who believe in “peaceful politics.”

“Political activists tell me that democracy here is a fraud,” he said. “They feel we are wasting their time.”

Abdul Malik Baloch, who leads the secular National Party, was among several prominent Baluch leaders who lost their seats in parliamentary elections in February. The lawmaker remains a member of the provincial assembly.

Opposition figures accused Pakistan’s powerful military, which has an oversized role in the domestic and foreign affairs of the country, of rigging the vote.

“Disappointment is pushing people into the arms of the insurgency,” said Baloch, the former chief minister.    

Abubakar Siddique a journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, specializes in the coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is the author of The Pashtun Question: The Unresolved Key To The Future Of Pakistan And Afghanistan. He also writes the Azadi Briefing, a weekly newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan.

BALOCHISTAN IS A COUNTRY

The Baloch question

Aasim Sajjad Akhtar 

August 30, 2024
DAWN

IT is not as if we have not been here before. Balochistan has bled for so long that the mainstream Pakistani consciousness has tuned it into the background. Yet every so often, the Baloch national question is thrust into the spotlight and everyone suddenly becomes an expert on everything Balochistan.

What has transpired after the gruesome killing of civilians in Musakhel — most of them reportedly of Seraiki and Punjabi backgrounds — is a microcosm of everything that is wrong about the way most Pakistanis, particularly in the core regions of our highly fragmented country, conceive of the Baloch question.

First came the frenzied demands for retribution. Expressing outrage at the killings is one thing, but giving the state license to crush ‘terrorism’ is another thing altogether. The current insurgency in Balochistan has raged for almost two decades, and was originally triggered by the dictatorial regime of General Pervez Musharraf, who, some readers will remember, publicly announced ‘they won’t know what hit them’.

Ever since, Baloch youth have been criminalised to no end, thus providing further fuel to the insurgency. Even staunch Pakistani nationalists have, on occasion, acknowledged that insurgencies, past and present, represent a failure of state policy. Militarisation of the Baloch question has not worked before, and will not work now.


Militarisation of the Baloch question has not worked.

Second was the lack of knowledge about Balochistan on display. Among other things, the term ‘Balochi’ was bandied about in reference to the people, whereas the correct term is ‘Baloch’. Then there was almost total neglect of the fact that Pash­tuns, Hazaras, Punjabis, Seraikis and others also call Balochistan their home. They do not all hold the same political opinions just because of their ethnic backgrounds. Indeed, the Baloch people are extremely diverse — the Makran belt in the south, for instance, comprises a distinct social formation to the northeastern parts of the province, including the Bugti, Mengal and Marri heartlands as well as Balochistan’s ‘green belt’ on the Sindh border.

Finally, there was the reduction of the entirely organic Baloch national question to great games and international conspiracies. It is certainly not implausible that there are regional and global players active in Balochistan, but the concerns that many Baloch have vis-a-vis the grand ‘developmental’ claims of projects like CPEC are long-standing and undeniable. Gwadar’s historic fishing communities, for example, have seen their livelihoods destroyed by corporate trawlers, while the wider population has been ravaged by state and private profiteers, who have made a killing through bogus real estate schemes.

Yet all of this seems to matter little in a social media universe where nuance, history and facts count for little. It is certainly true that social media has provided impetus to peaceful movements such as the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, but recent days confirm how the Facebook and Twitter algorithm as well as the statist trolls and bots ensure the de-intellectualisation of political debate.

It is also telling how supposedly broad-based consensuses around matters like enforced disappearances and ethnic profiling dissipate rapidly, and so many people outside the ethnic peripheries start displaying outright racism by calling for a boycott of Quetta cafes and banishing Baloch students from Punjab.

The obvious tensions which do exist between ethnic-nations in Pakistan should, in fact, make clear that the Pakistani state continues to fail spectacularly in addressing the Baloch and other national questions. The weaponisation of reli-

gion continues to be the calling card of choice, which is why the militants of the TLP and TTP thrive while even entirely peaceful Baloch youth who are demanding accountability of the state are called terrorists.

Thirty years ago, Eqbal Ahmad delivered a lecture entitled ‘Terrorism: Theirs & Ours’, which many ‘experts’ should listen to. In it, he meticulously outlined the manner in which the term ‘terrorism’ was instrumentally used by states to pursue their narrow, cynical interests. Of all the forms of political violence that can viably be called ‘terrorism’, it is the modern state, in fact, that has perpetrated the most terror.

There is little evidence that the master strategists who run this country are interested in genuinely resolving the eight-decade-old Baloch question. Those who claim to be on the side of the people, particularly those in the core regions of the country, must not do their bidding, and at the very least use critical analytical lenses to make sense of what is going on in Balochistan.

Working people from Punjab to Balochistan are not perpetrators of hate. They can, however, become conveyor belts for the politics of hate. It is this which must be resisted at all costs.

The writer teaches at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024

Balochistan — a way forward

Abbas Nasir 

Published September 1, 2024 
DAWN

AS violence erupted in Balochistan on the 18th anniversary of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti’s killing, about two dozen unarmed civilian bus travellers and lorry drivers, mostly from southern Punjab, were among the 50 killed. Baloch insurgents also targeted infrastructure, such as a railway bridge and a number of security force bases.

Those killed included a woman suicide bomber and one man, who reportedly drove a VBIED (ve­­hicle-borne improvised explosive device or a vehicle bomb) to breach a security force base’s perimeter. They were followed by other attackers who entered and engaged law-enforcement personnel.

There were at least seven coordinated attacks, from Musakhel near the Punjab border, where the murders of unarmed travellers took place, to other areas where different sites were targeted. In my memory, these were some of the most violent, coordinated attacks targeting state writ in the province.

The province has been on the boil since the killing of Nawab Bugti in a military assault on his mountain hideout near Dera Bugti, where he had moved from his ancestral home anticipating state action. (Suffice it to say that it was the ego of the late General Pervez Musharraf and some horrendous counsel by his belligerent Military Intelligence chief, a relative of his, that led to the escalation and blocked a peaceful resolution).

The state has ushered poster-boy proxies into public offices, and disenfranchised Baloch of credible representation — to disastrous results.

Since then, the state has relied solely on an iron fist to ‘deal’ with the ‘Balochistan issue’, rather than address the ‘issue of Baloch rights’ against the backdrop of increasing alienation of the local population and escalating violence.

While the lead security player in the province, apart from reissuing past statements, remained largely silent on the Aug 26 violence, it was left to the civilian leading lights of the hybrid set-up to speak and share their understanding of the gravity of the situation.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over a security meeting attended by the army chief and all security officials. The official statement highlighting the decisions taken at the meeting informed Pakistanis that the country’s chief executive had decided to “post police and administration officers of the 48th Common … to be followed by the 49th Common.”

Officers from the two batches, or courses, of the Police Service of Pakistan and the Pakistan Adm­i­­nistrative Service were offered a number of incentives to serve in the restive province, including two tickets every quarter to visit their families.

Perhaps the prime minister had read the excellent piece by respected former law-enforcement boss, Tariq Khosa, in last Saturday’s Dawn, headlined ‘Quest for justice’, and was inspired by it. (Please do read it if you missed it). But if that is all he found inspiring in that all-encompassing piece, I can only despair.

Despair is what many Pakistanis have to live with, and this must include all of us who try and analyse the situation and comment on it. But there is despair and then there is despair, if you know what I mean. And if you don’t, allow me to explain.

How would you react if the day after some four dozen of your citizens, half of them or more unarmed, have been killed by a hail of bullets, even if they survived the suicide bombing, and your interior minister has this to say: Dehshatgard ek SHO ki mar hein (The terrorists can be sorted out by an SHO). An SHO is a local, low-level police officer.

This statement comes against the backdrop of an escalation by both sides and after years of enforced disappearances and apparent kill-and-dump state policy and insurgent violence. If we add up the total number of police, paramilitary personnel, including FC and Levies, I am sure it´ll run into thousands across the province. And everyone knows that the military back-up is also there. This indicates that far too many of our brave security personnel have perished in the spiral.

Asma Jahangir, the iconic human rights advocate-campaigner, once told her critics, who were targeting her for supporting talks with Baloch separatists while opposing any such dialogue with TTP, that, ‘There is a difference’. The Baloch are struggling for their political and economic rights, while the Taliban want to impose their warped interpretation of faith on the country at gunpoint.

I wish the state could make that distinction. It has ushered poster-boy proxies into public offices and disenfranchised Baloch of legitimate and credible representation — to disastrous results. Perhaps it is time to look for a different approach. In fact, it is the patriotic duty of each and every decision-maker to explore other avenues.

And if such a path is pursued, it should be adh­e­red to with more sincerity than when Dr Malik Ba­­loch, as the chief minister, and retired Lt-General Qadir Baloch, then of the PML-N, established contact with an estranged Baloch leader who was willing to enter dialogue, promised to revert to him with a response to his queries, and were, in all probability, vetoed by the security establishment and never returned to the discussions.

This lack of political engagement will have very definitely strengthened the hands of the hostile external forces invested in fuelling instability in Pakistan and would, in fact, play directly into their agenda. That is neither wise, prudent nor will it deliver any security dividend.

Perhaps, once they are done reiterating their iron hand resolve to deal with it, they might be persuaded to look at the British government’s policy formulation and execution in its dialogue with the IRA, or how Spain ended its years-long war with the Basque separatist group ETA. Both countries and their people benefitted from peace, and nobody accused their governments of being lily-livered.

Specifically, if they agree, there should be a brainstorm among Balochistan experts such as Tariq Khosa, Akhtar Mengal, Dr Malik Baloch, Aslam Bhootani (an old friend of mine; just go and see the development in his constituency in Dureji, in the Hub-Lasbela area), the current DGI Lt-Gen­eral Nadeem Anjum and Dr Mahrang Baloch, who continues to support a peaceful struggle for rights. Add Rana Sanaullah, the PML-N leader, because he knows what it is like to be on the receiving end. And see if a way forward can be found.

The writer is a former editor of Dawn.
abbas.nasir@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2024

REBELLION IN BALOCHISTAN

Muhammad Amir Rana 

Published September 1, 2024
DAWN

AN unprecedented wave of province-wide violence in Balochistan, launched by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), has raised significant concerns about the level of unrest in the province and the state’s response. The situation escalated further when passengers were forcibly removed from trucks and buses and shot after their identities were checked in Musakhel district. This incident sparked outrage in Punjab, as the victims were targeted due to their ethnic identity, being from Punjab.

In response, a few social media users from Punjab initiated a campaign against Quetta-based restaurants spread across Punjab, run mainly by Pakhtuns. These individuals also called for the expulsion of Baloch students from universities in Punjab. This reaction played directly into the insurgents’ hands. In conflicts, the identities of the real perpetrators and victims often become blurred, exacerbating the situation and widening the scope of the conflict.

The Musakhel incident has once again sparked debate about why Baloch insurgents specifically target labourers and travellers carrying computerised national identity cards from Punjab. The existing literature on the subject fails to provide a convincing and updated explanation of the insurgents’ motivations, typically focusing on the historical grievances of the Baloch against the federation, ethnic differences, and a sense of political disenfranchisement. To gain a more comprehensive understanding, it’s crucial to consult informed individuals on the ground and consider observations that offer a broader perspective on how insurgents and counterinsurgents view the issue.

A common perception is that Baloch insurgents target Punjabi labourers and travellers because they believe the Punjabi establishment is exploiting their resources. While this may be one factor shaping their narrative, it is not the whole story. The insurgents also target Baloch labourers and travellers from south Punjab, a region with a sizeable Baloch population and where Baloch nationalists lay claim to several districts. The insurgents argue that they target those whom they believe are serving in security services or are part of any state-led development project, regardless of their ethnic background. In the past, they have similarly targeted Sindhi and Pakhtun labourers under the same suspicion. However, most victims have proven to be ordinary citizens without ties to the security services. For instance, Sindhis working as private labourers or in fruit markets have generally not been targeted, unlike those employed by public contractors.


In conflicts, the identities of the real perpetrators and victims often become blurred.

Targeting civilians is a challenging decision for any insurgent or violent movement, as it can be counterproductive, damaging their image and raising questions about their ideological and political foundations. A similar situation occurred with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) when they began targeting civilians, leading to divisions within their ranks. Internal discussions eventually forced them to alter their strategy of targeting non-combatants. A similar dynamic might occur within the Baloch insurgent ranks, where the BLA is more radical than other factions. The BLA justifies targeting non-combatant Punjabis by arguing that these are ‘retaliatory attacks’ in response to the disappearance and mutilation of Baloch individuals in the province. The BLA believes that targeting Punjabis inflicts the most harm on the military and stirs anger in Punjab against state institutions.

However, since the inception of the current phase of insurgency from 2002 to 2007, insurgents began threatening and killing Punjabi settlers in Quetta and later in other Baloch districts, despite Nawab Akbar Bugti condemning these actions and arguing that targeting innocents cannot be justified. In response to this criticism, insurgents developed the narrative that these settlers, particularly barbers, are the eyes and ears of intelligence agencies.

Beyond these justifications, targeting Punjabis is a well-developed strategy for the insurgent groups. By doing so, they can provoke the security forces into launching large-scale military campaigns, which often lack widespread acceptance among the population and generate more sympathy for the insurgents. Military operations reduce the space for political dialogue, which benefits the insurgents, as they feel more threatened by political initiatives than military action.

The insurgents are well aware of the consequences of attacking innocent Punjabi civilians, knowing it can provoke anger against the Baloch, particularly the youth studying and living in Punjab. However, Baloch insurgents, especially the BLA, believe that their survival depends on complete isolation from the rest of the country, particularly from Punjab. Hard-line Baloch nationalists also support this view, arguing that retaliation against Baloch students in Punjab and Islamabad is beneficial, as it will fuel anti-Punjab sentiments and deepen the divide, increasing hatred against Punjab.

State institutions can counter the insurgents’ designs through a well-crafted strategy rather than reacting impulsively. There is growing support for the idea that one of the most effective counterinsurgency strategies would be to sincerely address the issue of missing persons — unlike past attempts, such as the Justice Javed Iqbal-led Commission, which proved counterproductive and further eroded public trust in the state.

Engaging with figures like Mahrang Baloch could be a strategic move, as she has gained significant influence in the province, outshining nationalist parties, including Maulana Hidayatur Rehman. Rehman, who once championed the rights of the people of Gwadar, has remained silent since his election to the provincial assembly. If state institutions are unwilling to engage her in any political process, they must devise a policy to address the issue that earns the complete trust of the victims’ families. Such an initiative could involve trusted parliamentarians and civil society actors. In either case, it would help to pacify the anger among the broader Baloch community.

The state’s real challenge is to counter the insurgents’ propaganda, which claims that the state aims to eliminate Baloch identity by exploiting its resources and encouraging mass migration from other parts of the country, particularly Punjab. Only the Baloch themselves can help the state devise an effective strategy to combat this narrative — not those sharing power with the establishment and benefiting from the prolonged conflict.

The writer is a security analyst.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2024

SINGAPORE

ST Explains: What are transition credits and how can they help phase out the region’s dirty coal?

The South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation coal-fired power plant in Batangas, the Philippines, is expected to be retired by 2030. PHOTO: ACEN

Cheryl Tan
Correspondent
ST
Sep 01, 2024


SINGAPORE – The Republic is pioneering a new type of financial instrument that could help South-east Asia speed up its move away from coal plants towards more climate-friendly sources of energy.

Transition credits come from closing coal plants earlier so that less planet-warming gases are released into the atmosphere.

Each credit represents one tonne of planet-warming emissions that is prevented from being released. Buyers – such as governments and companies – can buy these credits to shrink their carbon footprint to meet their net-zero emission claims.

On Aug 16, an agreement was signed by Temasek-owned investment platform GenZero, infrastructure company Keppel and Acen, the energy unit of Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corporation, to study the development of a first-of-its-kind transition credit project in the Philippines.

The project entails retiring a South Luzon coal plant in Batangas city in 2030 – 10 years ahead of schedule – and replacing it with a solar plant and a battery storage system.

The Straits Times unpacks what transition credits are and the role they can play in weaning South-east Asia off coal.

Q: What are transition credits and how can they help?

A: Transition credits are a new class of carbon credits generated from the reduction in emissions when coal plants are retired early and replaced with clean energy sources.

Conventional classes of carbon credits typically come from carbon dioxide being removed or reduced through the planting of new trees, for example.

Coal is responsible for powering many South-east Asian economies because of rising energy demand due to population growth and significant economic development.

But it is the largest source of carbon emissions globally.

Phasing out the 2,000 coal plants in the region will help to cap global warming at 1.5 deg C above pre-industrial levels – the threshold which climate scientists say can help ward off catastrophic climate impacts.

The sale of transition credits can expand the available financing mechanisms for phasing out coal plants, since any investor can buy these credits to offset its emissions, said Mr Sharad Somani, partner and head of KPMG’s environmental, social and governance arm in Singapore.

But many of the region’s coal plants are young – less than 15 years old on average. As they have a lifespan of 40 to 50 years, it makes little financial sense to shut them down ahead of time.

Strategies to encourage operators to do so have focused on blended financing, where coal plant owners are given concessional capital, in the form of grants or interest-free loans, for example.

Such capital usually comes from governments, multilateral development banks and philanthropic organisations.

The concessional capital may attract more private capital from banks and investors with deeper pockets but a lower risk tolerance.

However, it is still challenging to raise sufficient private capital to finance these transactions – and this is where transition credits come in.

The Aug 16 agreement follows the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) launch of a Transition Credits Coalition, or Traction in December 2023. The initiative, backed by nearly 30 members, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Temasek and DBS Bank, studies the challenges of retiring coal plants early in Asia and proposes solutions.

At that time, MAS said it had identified two pilot projects in the Philippines to test the use of high-integrity transition credits in coal phase-out deals. The central bank told ST that the projects will test the viability of transition credits in different scenarios.

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The South Luzon project is one of the pilots. The 246MW coal plant, which will be retired in 2030, will be replaced with a 400MW mid-merit solar power plant with battery storage, an Acen spokeswoman told The Straits Times.

Mid-merit plants can adjust their output throughout the day depending on electricity demand.

The capital investments are estimated at US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion), said the spokeswoman, adding that the electricity output from the renewable energy facility will be equivalent to the amount generated by the coal plant. Solar energy generated by a solar farm may not reach its maximum output throughout the day due to rain or cloudy weather.

“It takes around three years to build a plant of this scale, hence construction is expected to start by 2028 or earlier,” she added.

For the second pilot, the ADB said it has been appointed by the Philippines to retire a 200MW coal plant in Mindanao five years early in 2026. The current power-purchase agreement for the plant ends in 2031, although the plant has a technical life up to 2046.

A spokesman for the Rockefeller Foundation, also one of MAS’ Traction partners, said: “Transition credits can cover costs that private and concessional capital cannot cover, such as lost revenues to plant owners, the premium associated with investing in replacement assets, such as battery storage, and the just transition costs.”

A just transition entails protecting the rights of workers and communities in the green transition. This could involve retraining or upskilling coal plant workers, for example.
Q: How should these credits be priced?

Acen’s outlook on the transition credit pricing is based on Singapore’s carbon price, which will be set at between $50 and $80 per tonne by 2030, said its spokeswoman.

“While it is still early in the development of the pilot initiative, Acen is optimistic that the transition credits can be viable at these pricing levels,” she added.

Mr Mikkel Larsen, a carbon market expert and an executive director of Singapore-based carbon exchange Climate Impact X, estimates that for a start, the pilot projects could possibly cost around US$30 per tonne of emissions.

But to scale up the phase-out of the rest of the region’s coal plants, the price of these credits could go up to US$40 to US$50 per tonne, he added.

Given the region’s relatively young fleet of coal plants, the early phase-out of each one could cost around US$20 per tonne, while building the replacement renewable energy plant could add another US$20, taking into account the infrastructural changes needed to manage grid instability.

The just transition element will add further to the cost, he added. This can include reskilling workers, for example.

Acen’s spokeswoman told ST that capital to build the renewable plant will come from investors such as Acen, and potential partners. This will include bridge capital that will be refinanced by future proceeds from transition credits.

She noted that if the plant is to be retired by 2030, the crediting will happen between 2031 and 2040.

Potential buyers of the credits include the Singapore Government and carbon tax-liable companies which can use the credits to offset up to 5 per cent of their taxable emissions; provided that the credits meet certain eligibility criteria.

For this to happen, both the Singapore and Philippine governments must enter into a bilateral carbon credit trade agreement, in which both sides agree that emissions reductions are not counted twice.

This means that if Singapore buys transition credits from the Philippines, this same amount of emissions must be “added back” to the Philippines’ inventory.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by both countries earlier in August for this purpose.

ADB senior markets development advisory specialist Dion Camangon told ST that it is supporting the Philippine government to build capacity and set up the arrangements to authorise cross-border carbon transfers, in parallel with the development of a carbon market policy framework.
Q: What will be done to ensure that the credits truly benefit the climate?

To ensure investor confidence, the transition credits’ methodology must be able to address and mitigate potential risks, particularly surrounding the permanence of the plant’s closure, said DBS chief sustainability officer Helge Muenkel.

The two largest carbon accreditation agencies – Gold Standard and Verra – are developing their own standards for transition credits, which can be applied to the two pilot projects under Traction.

Referring to the South Luzon coal plant, Mr Frederick Teo, the chief executive of GenZero, noted that there are several transition credit methodologies in development, but none has been finalised.

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“We are closely tracking these developments and will select the most appropriate methodology at a later stage, one that is robust and implementable... We may also consider going beyond what the methodologies require to tighten safeguards,” he added.

Broadly speaking, transition credit methodologies should address issues such as ensuring additionality, which means proving that the coal plant’s closure would not have happened without financing from transition credits. This would exclude loss-making coal plants, for example.

Permanence is another criterion, where developers must ensure that the coal plant is permanently shut down and prevent leakage. This ensures that the coal plants owners do not end up building new coal plants elsewhere after shutting down a particular plant.

US Southern Border arrests at a 4-year low, but August bump expected

More than 765,000 people entered the United States legally through the end of July


Jae C. Hong/Associated Press FILE – A vehicle drives along the U.S. side of the US-Mexico border wall in Nogales, Ariz., June 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool, File)

 August 31, 2024 
By Elliot Spagat | Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico during August are expected to rise slightly from July, officials said, possibly ending a streak of five straight monthly declines but the numbers are hovering near four-year lows.

Authorities made about 54,000 arrests through Thursday, which, at the current rate, would bring the August total to about 58,000 when the month ends Saturday, according to two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been publicly released.

The tally suggests that arrests could be bottoming out after being halved from a record 250,000 in December, a decline that U.S. officials largely attributed to Mexican authorities increasing enforcement within their borders. Arrests were more than halved again after Democratic President Joe Biden invoked authority to temporarily suspend asylum processing in June. Arrests plunged to 56,408 in July, a nearly four-year low that changed little in August.

Asked about the latest numbers, the Homeland Security Department released a statement by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on Congress to support failed legislation that would have suspended asylum processing when crossings reached certain thresholds, reshaped how asylum claims are decided to relieve bottlenecked immigration courts and added Border Patrol agents, among other things.

Republicans including presidential nominee Donald Trump opposed the bill, calling it insufficient

“Thanks to action taken by the Biden-Harris Administration, the hard work of our DHS personnel and our partnerships with other countries in the region and around the world, we continue to see the lowest number of encounters at our Southwest border since September 2020,” Mayorkas said Saturday.

The steep drop from last year’s highs is welcome news for the White House and the Democrats’ White House nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, despite criticism from many immigration advocates that asylum restrictions go too far and from those favoring more enforcement who say Biden’s new and expanded legal paths to entry are far too generous.

More than 765,000 people entered the United States legally through the end of July using an online appointment app called CBP One and an additional 520,000 from four nationalities were allowed through airports with financial sponsors. The airport-based offer to people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — all nationalities that are difficult to deport — was briefly suspended in July to address concerns about fraud by U.S. financial sponsors.

San Diego again had the most arrests among the Border Patrol’s nine sectors on the Mexican border in August, followed by El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona, though the three busiest corridors were close, the officials said. Arrests of Colombians and Ecuadoreans fell, which officials attributed to deportation flights to those South American countries. Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras were the top three nationalities.

How to reduce your exposure to microplastics

A recent study linked plastics in blood-vessel plaque to the risk of death, including by heart attack or stroke

Cubans collect garbage on Havana’s beaches on 20 August, as part of a programme to raise awareness of environmental protection. © Photo credit: AFP

While researchers are still determining the exact impacts on human health, microplastics (and their tinier variant, nanoplastics) pose a dual threat. The particles themselves can cause harm, as can the chemicals they contain. One recent study linked plastics in blood-vessel plaque to the risk of heart attack, stroke or death from any cause. Other research has found plastic exposure may increase the risk of cancer, Parkinson’s disease and male infertility.

Plastic’s ubiquity means that avoiding it entirely is impossible. However, there are steps you can take to minimise its presence.

“I certainly understand, and everyone understands, that plastic is a really important part of our society. But there are some direct exposures that we can reduce,” says Sheela Sathyanarayana, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington who studies chemicals in plastics that affect the endocrine system.

Use less plastic, full stop

Some microplastic exposure comes from the environment: airborne particles enter the body when we breathe, for example, while plastics in bodies of water build up in seafood. But other sources are closer to home. Sathyanarayana says the “easiest low-hanging fruit” for limiting exposure is to cut down on how much plastic you use.

Simple steps, such as switching from bottled to tap water, make a difference. A one-litre bottle of water contains an average of 240,000 plastic fragments, according to a study. Earlier research estimated that an average American drinking tap water instead of bottled water would consume dramatically fewer plastic particles.

Keep plastics out of the kitchen

It isn’t just bottled water. Food storage containers, chopping boards and many other kitchen goods are often made of, or include, plastic. Even teabags can be made of materials that contain plastic, says Mark Wiesner, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University who studies how plastics break down.

Fortunately, many of those same kitchen items also come in glass or stainless steel, while wood chopping boards can take the place of plastic ones. Making the switch is especially important for heat exposure, which can cause plastics to break down more quickly.

“Absolutely, absolutely don’t microwave food in plastic,” says Gillian Goddard, an endocrinologist in New York who writes for Parentdata, which provides information about pregnancy, parenthood and perimenopause. Tempered glass such as Pyrex is a good alternative for warming food.

When you do use plastic items, Goddard recommends washing them by hand — heat and abrasion from a dishwasher can spread particles to other dishes — and throwing away or repurposing them once they become scratched. She also advises never reusing single-use plastics, such as bags and takeaway containers, for food storage.

Choose clothes made of natural fibers

Textiles made from synthetic fibres are a frequent and often-forgotten source of microplastic exposure, particularly when they’re washed or dried. Plastic-free alternatives include natural fibres such as wool, cotton and linen.

When washing synthetic fabrics is unavoidable, there are some ways to minimise harm to the environment, including washing full loads, using cold water and air-drying as much as possible.
Keep your air clean

Plastic particles often end up in the air — when they’re thrown off by tyres, for example, or launched from bubbles on the surface of the ocean. If you’re walking around outdoors, a high-quality face mask may be your best bet for minimising intake.

At home, though, you can install a HEPA air filter to keep your air clean. The filters catch many particles, though the smallest may slip through. Sathyanarayana also recommends that people take their shoes off in their homes to limit dust recirculating.

Imperfect solutions

Because plastic is everywhere, no individual steps will get it out of your life entirely. Goddard says it’s hard to even know how much the existing guidance tempers harm: plastic exposure is so ubiquitous that it’s difficult to find control groups for experiments.

But small steps can’t hurt, and reducing reliance on plastic has a positive impact on the environment overall. “If you can do those simple things without a massive disruption to your life, you’re probably doing something beneficial,” Goddard says.

Mitigating exposure to plastic is particularly important for people who are already more vulnerable to health impacts, Sathyanarayana says, including children and pregnant women.

But making real headway against the world’s plastic problem will ultimately require systemic solutions, and both Goddard and Sathyanarayana are eager to see governments step up. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution is working on what could become a legally binding treaty on plastics, but countries remain divided on its scope — particularly any provision that would call for less plastic production.

Syrian sculptor destroyed his giant artwork outside the United Nations office in Geneva 

DESTRUCTION IS A CREATIVE ACT

MICHAEL BAKUNIN

Asharq Al Awsat
31 August 2024

 AD ـ 26 Safar 1446 AH

Syrian sculptor Khaled Dawwa on Friday destroyed his giant artwork outside the United Nations office in Geneva to denounce tens of thousands of enforced disappearances in Syria.

Using saws and hammers, relatives of disappeared Syrians helped the artist break apart the wood, plaster and foam statue on the International Day of the Disappeared.

"We are here to protest against the system, to say, 'enough'. We have a right to know the truth," the 39-year-old sculptor, who lives in exile in France, told AFP.

Dawwa's 3.5 metre (11ft 6 inch) - high colossus, "The King of Holes", depicted a potentate with a massive body, reflecting the artist's condemnation of oppressive power, before it was thrashed to pieces.

The idea for the protest came from rights group Syria Campaign, which suggested that Dawwa tear down the installation outside the UN headquarters.

He created it in 2021 in Paris with the intention of demolishing it later. "It is a fragile piece that is difficult to keep," he said.

Dawwa took part in Syria's demonstrations in 2012 that escalated into a bloody, protracted war.

He was in his studio in May 2013 when he was severely wounded by bullet fragments from a government helicopter and jailed for two months after leaving hospital. Echoing the conflict, the legs, face and arms of the artwork are riddled with small holes.

Amongst the rights campaigners on site was Wafa Mustafa, 34, who has not heard from her father since he was arrested in 2013.

"This statue, to all the Syrian families here, does not represent only the Assad regime" which is mainly "responsible for the detention of our loved ones", the Syria Campaign activist told AFP.

"But also it represents the international community and the UN that has failed us for the past 13 years" and "has not provided any real action to stop the massacre in Syria, and to give Syrians their basic human rights," she said.

Around 100,000 people have disappeared in the Syria as part of government repression or kidnappings by anti-regime militias, according to several non-profit organizations.

Ahmad Helmi, 34, said he had fled Syria after he was arrested by the country's secret services as a university student, and jailed for three years.

He followed Dawwa to Geneva to help him destroy the statue.

"The pain of three years in prison, three years of torture... doesn't count to one day of the pain my mum experienced every single day when I was disappeared," said Helmi.

"Hundreds of thousands of families and mothers are in Syria and around the world today experiencing the same pain," he added.

The Syrian war began after the repression of anti-government protests in 2011 and spiralled into a complex conflict drawing in foreign armies and militants, killing more than 500,000 people and displacing millions.

Dawwa says the statue's holes are like those made by "animals that eat wood".

"For me, that's like hope," he said. "There is always something that eats at it."

\

Hector: Kingpin of Iran’s Oil Empire

Hossein Shamkhani. (Iranian media)
London: Asharq Al Awsat
1 September 2024 

AD ـ 27 Safar 1446 AH

Interviews carried out by Bloomberg shed light on the “global kingpin for Iranian oil”, known as “Hector”.

The kingpin is Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He has “raked in billions of dollars in sales from commodities originating out of Iran, Russia and elsewhere, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the matter,” reported Bloomberg.

“Few know Shamkhani’s real identity and he is widely known only as Hector, the people said.”

“Companies in his network also sell oil and petrochemicals from non-sanctioned nations and sometimes mix crude from various jurisdictions, so even buyers who test barrels may not be able to identify the country of origin, the people said,” added the report.

Shamkhani’s rise

His rise to power “offers a glimpse into parts of a sprawling shadow economy of dark oil fleets that have sprung up since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It also shows an increasing cooperation between Tehran and Moscow as global powers ratchet up sanctions against both governments,” said the report.

“Washington faces challenges clamping down on this trade because that risks pushing up prices at the pump in an election year. Meantime, Iran gets an annual windfall of some $35 billion from its oil exports, a boon as it backs proxy groups that have attacked Israeli or Western assets” and it appears that Shamkhani has been tasked with this mission.

Bloomberg said the US has imposed sancstions on ships believed to be operating within Shamkhani’s network, revealed people informed in the matter.

Shamkhani and parts of his trading network that do some business inside the dollar system, are under investigation for possible sanctions violations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Treasury Department, according to the people and documents seen by Bloomberg.

Shamkhani denies everything

In an emailed response to questions, the director of his company said “the firm has no connection with Shamkhani while a lawyer representing the company said it follows all rules and has no links with any Russian or Iranian interests.” He denied owning any oil company, controlling a trading network or having a firm involved in commodities deals with Iran or Russia.

“Shamkhani’s influence is so wide that products supplied by entities in his network have also reached global majors like China’s Sinopec, US-based Chevron Corp. and UK-based BP Plc, according to people familiar with the matter,” continued Bloomberg.

“People familiar with Shamkhani’s empire said he effectively oversees an intertwined web of companies,” it added. “Business ownership, shareholding and control information are easy to obscure, and other executives have been formally registered as the owners and managers, the people said.”

“As one of Iran’s most profitable sectors, oil is top of mind for officials in the US. International restrictions on crude sales have put sharp pressure on the Iranian economy for years. Even so, the Iran helps fund Hezbollah, which has been trading rocket fire with Israel, as well as Houthi militants who have been attacking Western and Israeli ships in the Red Sea. It also backs the Palestinian group Hamas, which has been at war with Israel in Gaza for almost 11 months.”

Moscow and Beirut

“Over the last three decades, Shamkhani’s father Ali served as naval commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, defense minister and then Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s top security body.”

“The younger Shamkhani is in his 40s and was born in Tehran, according to people who have worked with him. He attended university in Moscow and Beirut before returning to the Iranian capital to obtain a Master of Business Administration, an archived LinkedIn profile says. Shamkhani’s Russian connections are particularly valuable at a time when Tehran and Moscow, both under Western sanctions, are strengthening their military and economic cooperation,” reported Bloomberg.

“My father never had nor does he have anything to do with my business activities,” Shamkhani said.

During a brief TV appearance in 2008, the elder Shamkhani said he advised his son to go into the private sector rather than follow in his footsteps with a government post.

Climate change fanning wildfires in vulnerable Eastern Mediterranean region, warn Greek scientists

‘Eastern Mediterranean is a climatic hotspot where the temperature is increasing much faster than the rest of the world,’ says Nikos Michalopoulos of the National Observatory of Athens

Ahmet Gencturk |29.08.2024 - TRT/AA

Firefighters spray water, during a wildfire in Nea Penteli near Athens, 

Greece, on August 12, 2024.

‘Almost 40% of forest land around Athens has been destroyed in the last eight years,’ says Michalopoulos‘In the Mediterranean, both sea and ground water are seeing very high temperatures,’ says senior researcher Athanasios Nenes

ATHENS

The growing threat of wildfires, which are increasing both in frequency and intensity, is closely intertwined with climate change in the greatly vulnerable Eastern Mediterranean region, prominent Greek scientists have warned.

“The Mediterranean, especially the Eastern Mediterranean, is a climatic hotspot where the temperature is increasing much faster than the rest of the world, and the number of scorching days increased significantly in the last three decades,” Prof. Nikos Michalopoulos of the National Observatory of Athens told Anadolu.

“Dry weather and extreme heat waves, combined with insufficient rainfall which dries vegetation, and strong northern winds, which we call meltemi, create the perfect conditions to initiate and swiftly spread wildfires.”

As to the impact of wildfires, Michalopoulos said their emissions are not only toxic for humans but also further contribute to global warming.

“Most directly, they do this by absorbing solar radiation and generating greenhouse gasses,” he explained.

The fires destroy vegetation and forest land that filter pollutants, exposing us to more air pollution, he said.

The decline of forests, which also operate as natural air conditioners, will mean even hotter weather down the line, he added.

In the case of Athens, which has seen several massive wildfires in recent years, including one in early August, the devastation of forests and their flora is a particularly profound threat, according to Michalopoulos.

“Taking into account that almost 40% of forest land around Athens has been destroyed in the last eight years, the coming months and years will be even harsher in terms of temperature and more extreme events,” he warned.

On measures to curb the consequences of the deforestation caused by wildfires, he said the focus should be on prevention, stressing that citizens have to play their role and not just rely on authorities.

“People should keep their terrain clean and have a water tank or a small reservoir in their garden to help when a fire breaks out,” he said.

From a wider perspective, the most essential prevention measure is to somehow cool down the world, he said.

“That is a long-term endeavor which will take decades even if the volume of carbon emission stops increasing immediately,” he said.

“As such, we will need to adapt our way of life, including living in smaller houses, consuming less meat, and consequently producing less greenhouse gasses.”

Plethora of problems

Athanasios Nenes, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, cited the lack of sufficient rain and extreme heat patterns as the primary reasons for increasing wildfires in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.

“We are getting less rain. Whenever we have rain, it tends to be sometimes in extreme events, including storms and floods. So, the water goes away quickly, and it doesn’t get absorbed by the ground and ecosystem. It’s really a big problem,” said Nenes, also the director of the Laboratory of Atmospheric Processes at the Lausanne Polytechnique University.

“In the Mediterranean, both sea and ground water are seeing very high temperatures. Whenever you have very warm water, that also tends to intensify the heat in the ground, because the water acts as a reservoir of heat,” he explained.

The increased frequency and intensity of wildfires is making the region vulnerable to more blazes by not giving the soil time to recover, he said.

Overtourism and the prevalent use of outdated agricultural practices that consume too much water is also drying the soil, leading to more wildfires, he added.

On the effects of wildfires on nature, Nenes said they burn natural vegetation that is essential to retain moisture and curb floods, while also destroying flora and fauna that are prominent components of the ecosystem.

For human health, he emphasized the grave danger of the smoke emitted by wildfires.

“When you burn forests, you release massive amounts of particles rich in carcinogenic compounds. When you breathe the particles, your body gets inflamed from the inside, owing to oxidative stress,” he said.

“These particles can increase the risk of heart attacks and cause diabetes, premature aging, lung problems, and shortness of breath.”

Nenes also pointed to the direct link between wildfires and climate change.

“Numerous researchers have showed that without the climate problem we would not have these massive wildfires. We still might have had some, as it is a natural phenomenon, but nothing like what we’re experiencing now,” he said.

He stressed the need for individual and state-level measures such as raising public awareness and vigilance.

People should be discouraged from burning even small fires in forests, and there needs to be more investment in new technologies for rapid response, said Nenes.

“Apart from that, the most effective solution would be to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, and really reach the point where we don’t have any more warming points,” he added.