International: Asia
Pay more for your clothes, workers tell fashion brands
19 Sep 2018
Garment workers in Bangladesh have rejected an increase in the minimum wage, urging global brands to pay more for the clothes they buy.
Soggy Bangkok struggles to stay afloat
6 Sep 2018
As Bangkok hosts climate-change talks, the sprawling city of more than 10 million is itself under siege from the environment, with dire forecasts warning it could be partially submerged in just over a decade.
Overloaded Thailand bans import of e-waste
23 Aug 2018
Thailand, struggling to deal with overflowing waste deposits following China’s trash ban last year, will bar the import of 432 types of scrap electronics.
A river restored breathes new life into Kuala Lumpur
14 Aug 2018
Ridiculed at first, the project to clean up Kual Lumpur's Klang river is on track to be completed on time and below budget.
Unhappy with fish poachers? Blow them out of the water
10 Aug 2018
Indonesia is taking an explosive approach to illegal fishing ... and it's putting the industry back on a path to suistainability.
Japan eyes daylight savings time for 2020 Olympics
9 Aug 2018
Deadly heatwaves in Japan have caused government and Olympics officials to consider the benefits of adopting daylight savings time for the 2020 games to ensure athlete safety.
Philippines kills off green campaigners
1 Aug 2018
A shocking 48 killings of green campaigners were reported in the Philippines last year, which was the worst on record for activist murders globally.
Heat goes on in (already) steamy Sri Lanka
31 Jul 2018
Steamy Colombo is expected to be one of the South Asian cities hardest hit by temperature hikes linked to climate change.
Imran vows to green Pakistan by planting 10 billion trees
30 Jul 2018
Imran Khan has vowed to plant 10 billion trees in five years as prime minister of Pakistan.
Penang is drowning in its own development
30 Jul 2018
The Malaysian island of Penang is paying a heavy price for putting development above the environment.
Singapore battles addiction to plastic
20 Jul 2018
The average Singaporean uses an unconscionable 13 plastic bags a day. With its only landfill site fast filling up, what are consumers and businesses doing to defuse the nation's plastic waste timebomb?
Meet the man who paves highways with old plastic
12 Jul 2018
Chemistry professor Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan, 73, wants us to know that repurposed plastic can be good for the environment.
India’s cheap cars fixation stalls EV dream
12 Jul 2018
India’s obsession with affordable small cars could delay the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious plan to only sell electric vehicles in the country by 2030.
Life's a toxic cocktail in the land of Genghis Khan
12 Jul 2018
The lifestyle of nomads in the ancient home of Genghis Khan and his Mongol horde is under threat as never before. Climate change, combined with local environment mismanagement, government neglect and the lure of the modern world, has created a toxic cocktail.
E-waste deluge turning Thailand into world's dump
2 Jul 2018
At a deserted factory outside Bangkok, skyscrapers made from vast blocks of crushed printers, Xbox components and TVs tower over black rivers of smashed-up computer screens.
Palm oil alternatives could be worse, experts warn
29 Jun 2018
The deforestation caused by palm oil is decimating species such as orangutans and tigers - but the alternatives could be worse, says a new report.
Use plastics in Mumbai and you could go to jail
27 Jun 2018
Mumbai has the become the largest Indian city to ban single-use plastics, with residents caught using bags, cups or bottles facing penalties of up to $NZ530 and three months in jail.
Newest development bank invests in coal
22 Jun 2018
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is backing a coal-fired cement works in Myanmar through an intermediary, in a worrying sign for its climate credentials.
Pollution-recording gear can't cope with off-the-dial Delhi
19 Jun 2018
Smog more toxic than can be measured by monitoring devices blanketing New Delhi, months before the start of the city's traditional pollution season.
India approves massive solar farm
7 Jun 2018
The Indian Government has given planning permission for a huge new solar project which is set to become one of the largest in the world.
Coal's all the rage in Indonesia
1 Jun 2018
Indonesia’s coal industry is enjoying a resurgence, driven both by rising demand from China and a push by Jakarta to build more coal-fired power plants.
Asia-Pacific dragging the chain, says UN
31 May 2018
The Asia-Pacific region is falling behind on climate action and conservation, according to the United Nations.
TEA TROUBLE: Weather changes could put Darjeeling in danger
29 May 2018
Gradual change in temperature and rainfall patterns in India's Darjeeling hills is beginning to affect production of one of the country's most famous teas.
Indian police kill 11 pollution protesters
25 May 2018
At least 11 people were killed and 80 wounded when police fired at protesters calling for the closure of a copper smelter in southern India.
India eyes hybrid solar-wind power plants
18 May 2018
India has released a draft policy for setting up hybrid wind-solar plants where both windmills and panels are put up on the same piece of land.
The true cost of making cities from the sea
4 May 2018
Asia is growing. Literally. From Malaysia to Dubai, luxury developments are rising on artificial islands and coastlines.
Dear sir, I'd like to order some e-vehicles ... 10,000 would do
20 Apr 2018
Indian ride-hailing firm Ola will add 10,000 electric three-wheelers to its fleet over the next 12 months.
Japan has a renewable energy puzzle
20 Apr 2018
As Japan rushes to cut carbon emissions by 26 per cent, campaigners worry that forests and wildlife are being trampled.
'The Beach' off limits as Thais count cost of climate change
5 Apr 2018
Maya Bay, made famous in the film “The Beach”, will be off limits to tourists for part of the year as Thailand seeks to protect eco-systems crumbling from warming seas and unchecked sprawl.
Tokyo admits rainforest timber used for stadium
1 Mar 2018
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee has confirmed that 87 per cent of the plywood panels used to build its new national stadium come from southeast Asian rainforests.
Singapore will charge carbon tax from next year
21 Feb 2018
Singapore will charge carbon polluters a new carbon tax from 2019.
Korea real cool, but the games are getting warmer
13 Feb 2018
PyeongChang turned on typical freezing South Korea weather for the first few days of the Winter Olympics … but overall the event is getting warmer.
Indonesia has bold plan to rewet the swamps
2 Feb 2018
A controversial Indonesian project to restore 2.5 million hectares of tropical peatland hinges on sustainable farming.
Local people tackle tide of beach plastic
30 Jan 2018
Local volunteers have collected more than 12,000 tonnes of plastic from a beach in Mumbai.
Climate change drives farmers from Mekong delta
24 Jan 2018
Saltwater intrusion and drought are destroying crops in one of the most fertile places on earth, prompting an exodus of farmers.
Thailand gets $1.1 billion for wind power project
15 Dec 2017
Southeast Asia’s leading solar energy nation -Thailand - could be the frontrunner in wind energy after renewables developer WEH secured funding for the region’s biggest wind power project.
Hyundai building battery bigger than Tesla's
8 Dec 2017
Tesla’s South Australia battery system won’t hold the title of world’s largest for long - Hyundai is building one 50 per cent bigger.
India to add 10,000 e-vehicles to official fleet
24 Nov 2017
India has called tenders for 10,000 electric vehicles as replacements for its official fleet.
Indonesia to roll out 1000 eco-mosques
21 Nov 2017
Worshippers in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, are set to go green with a new initiative that aims to establish 1000 eco-mosques by 2020.
CHOPPER STOPPER: Too much smog for the smog-fighters
16 Nov 2017
An ambitious plan to use helicopters to fight Delhi’s air pollution has been grounded because the aircraft cannot operate in the thick smog.
LEAPING LIZARDS: Giants thrive in wasted oil palm plantations
26 Oct 2017
Of Borneo’s large native scavengers, a giant lizard is the only species that has successfully adapted to the land devastated by oil palm plantations.
How Thailand built a top sustainable stock exchange
20 Oct 2017
Sustainability reporting is not mandatory in Thailand - and yet Thai firms outnumber their Asean peers in the latest Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.
Asean banks need to raise sustainable finance bar
13 Oct 2017
Southeast Asia’s banks have only just started to think about their impact on society and the environment.
India bans Diwali fireworks to tackle Delhi's air pollution
11 Oct 2017
India’s supreme court has banned the sale of fireworks in Delhi during the upcoming Diwali festival, hoping to prevent the usual spike in toxic air pollution levels that accompany the holiday.
Sunny Southeast Asia just doesn't get solar
4 Oct 2017
Southeast Asia has double the solar energy potential of Northern Europe, but the market hype is not living up to the reality on the ground.
Delhi chokes on US exports of tar sands waste
29 Sep 2017
India has emerged as the world’s largest importer of petroleum coke, an oil byproduct that is now a major cause of pollution in the capital.
Palm oil giant makes debut in sustainability index
26 Sep 2017
Singapore palm oil company Golden Agri-Resources has been featured in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the first time.
India is about to embark on stupendous e-car changes
21 Sep 2017
India, the world’s fifth-largest car market is readying for a stupendous transformation: moving completely toward electric vehicles by 2030.
Shrinking glaciers threaten water supply of millions
15 Sep 2017
Asia’s mountain glaciers will lose at least a third of their mass through global warming by the century’s end, with dire consequences for millions of people.
Indonesia chases firms to pay for forest damage
31 Aug 2017
The Indonesian government is struggling to collect fines from companies found guilty of damaging the environment, leaving trashed rainforests and peat swamps to stay barren.
Australia eyes new fuel supply from US, Mexico and Asia as diesel prices spike to record high
Mon 13 Apr 2026
Australia could get more fuel from the US, Mexico or its Asian neighbours, with a new government policy helping refineries bid for oil shipments as diesel prices spike to new record highs.
Is the Keystone XL pipeline back?
Tue 14 Apr 2026
A company has proposed to build a crude oil pipeline crossing the Canadian border near where the long-contested project would have entered the United States.
China's Xi urges faster development of new energy system as Middle East war continues
8 Apr 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for accelerated planning and construction of a new energy system to safeguard the country's energy security, weeks into the Iran war that has triggered global energy shocks.
France unveils electrification plan to cut fossil fuel dependence
Tue 14 Apr 2026
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu outlined a national electrification plan on Friday aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuels and strengthening the country’s energy sovereignty.
UK ‘green’ jet fuel imports linked to illegal Amazon deforestation
Tue 14 Apr 2026
A major supplier of ‘green’ airline fuel to the UK has sourced beef fat linked to illegal Amazon deforestation, court documents and shipping data show.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
Vanuatu Indigenous leaders raise concerns over plans to build resort for cruise tourists
1 Apr 2026
Indigenous community leaders in Vanuatu have raised concerns over plans by the cruise operator Royal Caribbean to build a private beach club on the island of Lelepa, arguing environmental impact assessments by the company are “incomplete” and “misleading”.
Drowned chicks and food scarcity: Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal now endangered
Mon 13 Apr 2026
The primary drivers are shrinking sea ice and warming oceans driven by climate change.
Rationing power and diluting petrol – how African countries are coping with effects of Iran war
30 Mar 2026
Countries across Africa have taken measures such as diluting petrol and restricting electricity consumption to cope with the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran.
Beef production drives 40% of agriculture-linked forest destruction, Brazil leads
26 Mar 2026
Beef production is the leading driver of agriculture-linked deforestation, accounting for 40% of all forest clearing done to open space for food production, according to details of a study released on Tuesday.
Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says
18 Mar 2026
The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is a lesson on the risks of relying on fossil fuels which should drive governments to wean their economies off oil and gas faster, the U.N. climate secretary told Reuters on Monday.
