International: Asia
Floods wreak havoc in Malaysia, southern Thailand with over 30 killed, tens of thousands displaced
5 Dec 2024
Severe floods caused by monsoon rains killed more than 30 people and displaced tens of thousands in Malaysia and southern Thailand, officials said Tuesday, with both countries preparing shelters and evacuation plans in anticipation of more heavy rain.
COP16: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification kicks off
4 Dec 2024
The Indian Minister for the Environment underlined efforts on land restoration, drought resilience Forests at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification this week.
Japan eyes cutting emissions by 60% by 2035 from 2013 levels
28 Nov 2024
The Japanese government said Monday it is considering cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by fiscal 2035 compared with fiscal 2013 levels.
Deadlock over climate finance is undermining Paris agreement, Singapore minister says
8 Nov 2024
Efforts by the United States and others to persuade more countries to contribute to a new global climate financing initiative risks undermining the Paris agreement, Singapore's Environment Minister Grace Fu told Reuters on Wednesday.
Japanese youth sue utilities over climate impact
29 Oct 2024
A group of 16 Japanese young people is suing utility firms over their carbon emissions, in the latest case worldwide of activists using courts to press for action on climate change.
Revealed: Biomass firm poised to clear Bornean rainforest for dubious ‘green’ energy
22 Oct 2024
Indonesia’s strategy for increasing renewable energy production could see Indigenous communities lose huge swathes of their forests to biomass plantations.
Woody biomass - a false climate solution and threat to Indonesia’s forests?
11 Oct 2024
A new report highlights the threat to Indonesia’s forests from industrial biomass demand.
Can carbon credits help close coal plants?
10 Oct 2024
A few dozen kilometres from the Philippine capital Manila sits a coal plant that some hope could be a model for how developing countries can quit the polluting fossil fuel.
Fossil fuel dominance of India’s power mix to end by 2030, says central bank
3 Oct 2024
India's burgeoning economy continues to be overwhelmingly powered by fossil fuels including coal, but that dominance will be consigned to the history books by end of this decade, according to the country's central bank.
This Japanese region is still recovering from a deadly earthquake. Now record rains have flooded its streets
25 Sep 2024
Record rainfall has brought deadly flooding and landslides to a coastal region of Japan still recovering from a devastating New Year’s Day earthquake.
How Indian farmers are embracing the power of floods
20 Sep 2024
As climate change causes intense and unpredictable rainfall, farmers are reviving an age-old agricultural method that sees them welcoming, rather than dreading, sudden inundations.
Financial instruments will promote carbon credit in India
19 Sep 2024
Carbon credits will play a key role in India's move towards reducing over 8,000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and equivalent (CO2e) by 2030.
Tens of thousands in South Korea protest lack of climate progress
10 Sep 2024
More than 30,000 protesters gathered in South Korea's capital in broiling heat on Saturday, demanding more aggressive action by the government to combat global warming.
Heavy monsoon rains and floods kill at least 33 in south India and 5 children in Pakistan
5 Sep 2024
Heavy monsoon rains and floods have killed at least 33 people in southern India and five children in Pakistan over the past two days, authorities said.
Floods swamp Bangladesh as nation finds its feet after protests
27 Aug 2024
Floods triggered by torrential rains have swamped a swath of low-lying Bangladesh, adding to the new government's challenges after weeks of political turmoil.
South Korea boils in summer heat that may set new records
7 Aug 2024
As South Korea swelters under summer heat that looks set to break records, newspaper headlines are using words mostly reserved for describing high-heat culinary techniques.
Hopes of finding survivors wane after landslide deaths in India
2 Aug 2024
Hopes of finding more than 180 missing people alive waned as rescue workers searched through mud and debris for a third day in southern India.
The great climate change wealth transfer is here
29 Jul 2024
There has rarely been a better time to be a seller of fossil fuels — nor a worse time to be exposed to their effects.
Why Asia's future hinges on a collective approach to sustainable finance
25 Jul 2024
Asia is experiencing significant health crises due to climate change, causing disruptions in productivity, increasing healthcare costs and undermining workforce stability.
Can digital payments help countries adapt to climate change?
18 Jul 2024
For thousands of farmers in the Philippines, climate change is a direct threat to their livelihoods.
Flooding in northern Bangladesh displaces 40,000 people, shuts schools
11 Jul 2024
Flooding in Bangladesh has swept away homes and shug schools, displacing tens of thousands of people.
The ‘fearless young activists’ thrown in jail for climate campaigns in Cambodia
9 Jul 2024
They are young and passionate about protecting Cambodia’s rich and ecologically fragile environment.
More people in India faced climate change-induced extreme heat in June than any other country: Study
3 Jul 2024
Around 619 million people in India bore the brunt of a severe heatwave between June 16 and June 24, followed by 579 million people in China.
How is climate change influencing voters in India's election?
28 May 2024
Voters in India, from the rain-drenched Himalayas in the north to the sweltering, dry south, are looking for politicians who promise relief, stability and resilience to the wide-ranging and damaging effects of a warming climate.
Heatwave alert for next four days in Delhi, govt tells schools to call early vacations
23 May 2024
Delhi sweltered under a heatwave as temperatures soared above 46°C, prompting a red alert extension till Friday and school closures for summer vacations.
Climate change made the deadly heatwaves across Asia more frequent and extreme
20 May 2024
Throughout April and continuing into May 2024, extreme record-breaking heat led to severe impacts across the Asian continent, hitting millions of highly vulnerable people.
India projects biggest power shortfall in 14 years in June
17 May 2024
India is projecting its biggest power shortfall in 14 years in June after a slump in hydropower generation, and is racing to avoid outages.
Pakistan records its wettest April since 1961 with above average rainfall
9 May 2024
Pakistan has recorded its wettest April since 1961, with more than double the usual rainfall for the month, the national weather centre said.
An estimated 40 people are dying each day in Myanmar as heat lingers in region
8 May 2024
Animals are at risk from a lack of water in a Cambodian wildlife sanctuary as soaring temperatures linger over most of Southeast Asia.
India reported over 75,000 forest fires in April
7 May 2024
A senior official said a warmer than usual April and a drier winter this year are the reasons for sudden surge in forest fires.
Indonesian government revokes Rimba Raya REDD project’s license
2 May 2024
The Indonesian government has revoked the license of the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve Project, which has issued more than 33.6 million carbon credits since 2013, for violating local regulations.
Asia is officially the most ‘disaster-prone’ region in the world
26 Apr 2024
Asia has to cope with more disasters than any other part of the world, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Battling climate change, Japan looks to seagrass for carbon capture
26 Apr 2024
Some 100 volunteers gathered on a popular beach in the Japanese port city of Yokohama, wading in the shallows to plant strands of light-green eelgrass on the seabed.
How can India hold elections when it’s too hot to vote?
24 Apr 2024
Sweltering heat is keeping some voters away. Changing the system is a risk worth taking.
Climate change is political and we must treat it that way
22 Apr 2024
OPINION: Global warming is still far from being an election issue — and therein lies the problem.
Death toll from four days of rains rises to 63 in Pakistan with more rain on the forecast
19 Apr 2024
The heaviest downpour in decades flooded villages on Pakistan’s southwestern coast. Flash floods have also killed dozens of people in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Japan considers 66% emissions cuts by 2035 in new energy plan, report says
18 Apr 2024
Japan will consider slashing emissions by 66 per cent by fiscal year 2035, from 2013 levels, as the nation kicks off a review of its energy mix strategy.
Don’t forget women in new UN climate fund, policymakers urged
15 Apr 2024
At home on a flood-prone island in northern Bangladesh, Ms Mosammat Shahina and her family take refuge from frequent inundations on a boat, causing upheaval that adds to her domestic workload.
India’s supreme court expands ‘right to life’ to include protection against climate change
11 Apr 2024
In another landmark climate decision, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that an individual’s “right to life” includes protection against the impacts of climate change.
Climate disasters decimate Mongolian livestock
10 Apr 2024
Millions of livestock have perished as climate change exacerbates impacts of extreme winter weather in Mongolia, crippling nomadic communities that rely on the animals for income and threatening wider economic damage.
A coal billionaire is building the world’s biggest clean energy plant
28 Mar 2024
Five times the size of Paris. Visible from space. The world’s biggest energy plant. Enough electricity to power Switzerland.
India calls for $1 trillion per year climate finance from next year, submits its proposal to the UNFCCC
15 Mar 2024
India in its latest submission to the UN climate body has called for developed countries to provide “at least” $1 trillion per year in climate finance to developing countries from 2025.
New report details rights abuses in Cambodia’s Southern Cardamom REDD+ project
14 Mar 2024
Human Rights Watch has detailed forced evictions, property destruction and violence against Indigenous communities living within a REDD+ carbon offset project area in southwest Cambodia.
Climate change pushes Malaysia’s coastal fishermen away from the sea
11 Mar 2024
On an overcast morning six years ago, Mohammad Ridhwan Mohd Yazid was on his way back to Malaysia’s southern Johor coast when his small fishing boat was caught in a sudden storm.
Toyota is hitting the gas on hybrids as EV sales cool. But what does that mean for the planet?
11 Mar 2024
It was just over a year ago that Toyota appeared to acknowledge it had dropped the ball on electric vehicles.
Qatar announces new gas field expansion
27 Feb 2024
Qatar has announced new plans to expand output from the world’s biggest natural gas field, saying it will boost capacity to 142 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) before 2030.
Climate change-fueled winter extremes put 90% of this country at 'high risk'
26 Feb 2024
So far this year upward of 2 million livestock animals have died, according to official statistics.
Kazakhstan: Methane mega-leak went on for months
19 Feb 2024
An estimated 127,000 tonnes of methane escaped when a blowout started a fire that raged for over six months last year at a remote well in Kazakhstan.
India will be world's biggest oil demand growth driver through 2030, IEA says
9 Feb 2024
India is expected to be the largest driver of global oil demand growth between 2023 and 2030, narrowly taking the lead from top importer China.
Saudi Arabia ditches plan to raise oil production
1 Feb 2024
World’s biggest exporter says it will no longer seek to increase output to 13mn barrels a day.
Australia's 2035 climate targets on path to net zero judged by the experts
Today 11:45am
After much anticipation, Australia has set its new climate targets: a reduction of 62 to 70 per cent within the next 10 years.
Charlie Kirk was a fossil fuel industry plant
Today 11:45am
Big Oil's money gave Kirk a larger platform to spread baseless climate conspiracy theories—as well as other extremist views.
China aims to nearly double battery storage by 2027 in $35 billion plan
Tue 16 Sep 2025
China is looking to almost double its so-called new energy storage capacity to 180 gigawatts (GW) by 2027, according to an industry plan announced by authorities on Friday.
EU set to miss UN deadline for new target under Paris climate accord
Today 11:45am
The delay is intended to allow countries more time to agree to an ambitious goal.
Republican gala dinner in Windsor disrupted by climate protesters ahead of Trump’s UK visit
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Climate protesters have interrupted a gala dinner for Republicans in Windsor celebrating Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK.
Carney government noncommittal about Canada meeting 2030 climate goals
9 Sep 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney would not say Monday whether Canada will meet its climate goals under the Paris agreement by 2030, as his government faces criticism over his emission-reduction plans.
China, climate crisis and COP31: Five takeaways from the Pacific Islands Forum
Tue 16 Sep 2025
A key climate crisis funding treaty struck as Pacific leaders backed Australia’s bid for Cop31 despite some criticism of its environmental credentials.
Iconic Antarctic species at risk amid 'regime shift', with 'rapid and self-perpetuating changes'
22 Aug 2025
Scientists say there is emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially unstoppable changes in the Antarctic environment.
South African environmental groups push to block Shell’s new wells – how world court opinion might help
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The International Court of Justice’s landmark advisory opinion on climate change has come in handy for South African communities that are trying to stop global oil company Shell from drilling for oil and gas off the coast.
Brazil implores businesses to attend COP30 climate summit, despite 'second thoughts' amid Trump backlash
5 Sep 2025
November's COP30 summit comes at a precarious time for climate action, as companies back away from environmental initiatives, and attacks on green energy by President Trump.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
Today 11:45am
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
