Ahmadi City ranks 20th worldwide in carbon footprint

KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) announced reducing the time that the Interior Ministry needs to issue an absconding report from 90 to 60 days, as new measures would be put in effect to make sure the report is not malicious.

The authority works in collaboration with various sectors to develop its automated system and administrative measures in order to cut down the cycle of paper work needed, Deputy Director of the Labor Protection Department Abdullah Al-Motoutah said. He added that 4,500 absconding reports were filed since the beginning of 2018, of which 684 have been so far settled.

Further, Motoutah said that online services that the authority provides facilitate companies' inquiries about the reports that they make. He also noted that laborers themselves can use online services, by providing the authority with their mobile phone numbers.

In other news, PAM issued regulations concerning the transfer of labor visas amongst private companies, stipulating that the transfer should be made after a minimum of one year following the issuance of the work permit, and after obtaining the employer's approval. Meanwhile, the regulations also stipulate allowing the worker to transfer his visa within six months in exchange for extra an fee. The authority exempted companies listed on outstanding lists, by not allowing the transfer of their laborers before three years, and limiting the transfer within the industrial and agricultural sectors to companies working in the same sectors.

Non-oil revenues

Official statistics show that six state departments alone make 87 percent of the non-oil revenues expected to be collected in the fiscal year 2018-2019, which are estimated at KD 1.7 billion. Figures also show that non-oil revenues make up 12 percent of total revenues in the state's budget. Furthermore, the numbers also show that the Ministry of Electricity and Water topped the list by generating 24 percent of the total non-oil revenues (KD 419.7 million).

In addition, the figures show that the Customs General Department came second by making 20 percent of non-oil revenues (KD 356 million), followed by the finance ministry with 17 percent (KD 293.6 million), the Ministry of Health with 10 percent (KD 184.2 million), Ministry of Interior with nine percent (KD 159.8 million) then the Ministry of Service with seven percent (KD 127.8 million).

The statistics also show that tax and fees' revenues increased this year by 11 percent (KD 56 million) to become KD 551 million compared to last year. They also show that other revenues increased by 16 percent (KD 148.7 million) to become KD 1.09 billion.

Fertilizers factory

The Petrochemical Industries Company's fertilizers factory, which are used to produce ammonia and urea, have officially been shut down, company sources said. A specialized company has already started dismantling the factory's equipment, the sources explained, adding that EQUAE would operate the factory moving forward in order to manufacture polypropylene and praxilene.

CO2 emissions

A recent study made by the Norwegian University of Sciences and Technology (NTNU) about carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and its effect on climate changes revealed that 18 percent of the world's CO2 emissions come from 100 cities alone. The study showed that Seoul, South Korea topped the list of 1.300 cities in terms of its carbon footprint, while Kuwait's Ahmadi City came 20th. The list also ranked the Chinese city of Guangzhou, with its population of 14 million people, in second place, followed by New York City.

Notably, carbon footprints is an index of measuring the average of CO2, or any other greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere. It measures the total emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, or product or country. It is measured by metric ton per year.

Carbon footprint is divided into two parts; the main one resulting from burning all types of fossil fuel, and the sub one, which measures non-direct emissions resulting from processing various primary production material.

NTNU researcher Daniel Moran said that he was stunned by CO2 rates in small cities with low population and low income. He argued that this might have been caused by repressing greenhouse gases. He added that officials in Hong Kong acted to combat the problem of emissions and set a special plan to reduce emission by 2030. Moran also said that US President Donald Trump disappointed global hopes by withdrawing from the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.

The list of world cities with highest carbon footprint included (in order): Seoul, South Korea; Guangzhou, China; New York, the United States; Hong Kong, China; Los Angeles, the United States; Shanghai, China; Singapore City, Singapore; Chicago, the United States; Tokyo/ Yokohama, Japan; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Dubai, the United Arab Emirates; Wuxi, China; Johannesburg, South Africa; Tehran, Iran; Moscow, Russia; London, the United Kingdom; Benha, Egypt; Beijing, China; Jakarta, Indonesia; Ahmadi, Kuwait.

By A Saleh