G LO BA L C R I SES Rolf Schfer from Andreas Christ The energy crises forces us to consider sustainability and think green it hopefully will be default for us to think about saving energy But on top of these challenges, Pakistan has had its own unique issues, as Tabinda Naseer Usman, Director of Operations, explains: Pakistan, like any other country, was not well prepared to face these crises back to back. We have also had to deal with the natural calamity of floods this year and some parts of the country regrettably did not follow proper protocols during COVID-19, she said. The crisis may have slowed down, but full recovery will take its time. Along with movers in other markets, Transpack has found adapting to higher costs and overheads to be a major issue, while the weakening of the Pakistan rupee (PKR) against the US dollar makes doing business more challenging. Germany, Europes largest economy, is one of the countries to have been hit by an energy crisis. The government has introduced several measures to save energy including stating that offices may only be heated to 19C and outdoor lighting in shops and companies must be switched off in the evenings and at night. Meanwhile, German householders are only allowed to shower in warm rather than hot water at night. Meanwhile, international moving companies are facing high energy bills to heat their business premises and the greater cost of fuelling their trucks. One of the John Mason International packing team at work Turning off the taps Paris-based Grospiron says finding suitable labour is among its top five challenges At Andreas Christ international movers in Wiesbaden, Sales Manager and Deputy Branch Manager Rolf Schfer says: The fact that Russia turned off the gas tap came as a surprise to everyone, and the government, the industry and the population must get used to this situation. Everybody is working intensively on solutions, For instance, three nuclear power plants in Germany will remain in operation for half a year longer than planned and alternative possibilities to have liquid gas delivered are being looked into, and so on. Maybe not in the next six months, but in the next 12 months, I think everything will return to normal. He added: I also think that the situation does already and continues to force us to always consider sustainability and think green; it hopefully will be by default that we think about saving energy. Facing even more extreme conditions are movers in Ukraine. Some have managed to resume operations despite the humanitarian and other impacts of the conflict and the drop off in international shipments. Most expats left the country before or quickly after the outbreak of the war on 24 February. In addition to the human impact caused by the conflict with Russia, occupying forces have been destroying electric power stations in Ukraine, which has heightened the crisis. Marina Chornokozha, General Manager at Interdean International Relocation Ukraine, says: In the 10 days from 10 October, 30 per cent of Ukrainian electric power stations were bombed and partially destroyed. It meant electricity in all Ukrainian regions had to be turned off for some parts of the day. 38 FF308 Dec-Jan 23 pp36-43 Regional Focus Global Crises.indd 38 05/12/2022 17:00