International: Asia
Turkey’s second highest glacier melts amid climate change
7 Aug 2023
The severe grip of global warming has tightened its hold on Cilo Mountain in Hakkari, the country's second-highest peak, causing glaciers to undergo a rapid and unsettling change.
India’s parliament clears contentious bill that seeks to amend forest act
4 Aug 2023
Hundreds of legal and environmental experts have flagged potentially damaging clauses in the bill that might endanger as much as 25% of India’s forest cover.
As extreme heat hits South Korea and Japan, death toll rises sharply
4 Aug 2023
The extreme weather sweeping across Asia has claimed more victims, with South Korea and Japan reporting deaths from the sweltering heat.
Heat wave forces shutdown in Iran
3 Aug 2023
The government claims the move is to safeguard the well-being of its citizens as soaring temperatures continue to pose health risks, though it raises questions as to the country's readiness for a crisis.
An ancient desert-dwelling culture embraces hydroponics
2 Aug 2023
With droughts on the rise, India’s pastoralists are turning to modern techniques to conserve water — and a way of life.
Climate change disasters caused US$36B loss in Asia in 2022: Report
31 Jul 2023
Asia is the world’s most disaster-impacted region, with 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters recorded last year, killing more than 5,000 people and affecting 50 million.
Effects of climate change increasing in Asia, WMO says
28 Jul 2023
Extreme weather events caused by climate change are on the rise in Asia and bound to affect food security and the continent's ecosystems, the World Meteorological Organization said.
Typhoon Doksuri displaces thousands in northern Philippines
27 Jul 2023
Nearly 16,000 people displaced as ferocious storm floods low-lying villages and knocks out electricity.
Is climate change making cloudbursts more frequent?
26 Jul 2023
Intense rainfall in the Himalayan regions of India’s Kashmir state and adjacent mountainous cold desert of Ladakh earlier this week destroyed roads and caused flooding of dozens of villages.
South Korea floods: tunnel horror brings home climate fears
21 Jul 2023
As hundreds of rescue workers comb the muddied waters of a South Korean underpass, the stagnant rainwater, once up to the ceiling, now only covers their knees.
At least 22 die in India as extra-heavy monsoon rains trigger severe flooding, landslides
11 Jul 2023
In the capital New Delhi, more rain was recorded in a single day than at any time in the past 40 years – a total of 15.3cm.
Climate crisis linked to rising domestic violence in south Asia
30 Jun 2023
As deadly heatwaves sweep through cities in India, China, the US and Europe amid the climate crisis, new research has found that rising temperatures are associated with a substantial rise in domestic violence against women.
Heavy rains batter India’s northeast
27 Jun 2023
One person died and tens of thousands of people moved to government shelters as heavy monsoon rains batter villages in India's northeastern state of Assam.
More deaths in north India amid extreme heat
21 Jun 2023
About 170 people have died in two of India’s most populous states in recent days amid a sweltering heatwave, officials say, as hospitals are overwhelmed with patients and routine power outages add to the challenges.
Institutions warm to carbon trading even as questions linger
16 Jun 2023
Singapore's bid to become a carbon trading hub raises questions about the verification and pricing methods involved.
East Asia heat wave to crank up coal use and emissions
14 Jun 2023
A heat wave across China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea looks set to drive coal use for electricity generation to new highs over coming weeks, priming the region that accounts for more than 60% of world coal emissions to boost pollution further.
Climate change deepens Helmand water rights crisis
12 Jun 2023
Iranian and Afghan Taliban forces clashed on the border two weeks ago, resulting in two deaths and several wounded as tensions surrounding water rights continue to rise between Tehran and Kabul.
Dozens dead as heavy rains hit Pakistan
12 Jun 2023
Heavy rains pounded Pakistan’s northwest regions collapsing houses and killing at least 25 people.
Saving tigers helped reduce India’s carbon emissions
12 Jun 2023
Research shows that tiger conservation interventions prevented forest loss, leading to reduced emissions and ecosystem benefits.
Experts: climate change to blame for up to 17 deaths on Mount Everest
31 May 2023
Experts say this is likely to be one of the deadliest years on record on Mount Everest, with variable weather caused by climate change being blamed as one of the main reasons for the deaths of up to 17 people.
16 Asian countries at risk as climate change threatens water supplies
30 May 2023
People living in 16 countries of Asia are at grave risk as climate change hits hard the water and energy supplies in the region. Climate-related disruptions to the Hindu Kush-Himalayan water system have emerged as a major concern for Asia.
Protecting India's tigers also good for climate: study
26 May 2023
India's efforts to protect its endangered tigers have inadvertently helped avoid a large amount of climate change-causing carbon emissions by preventing deforestation, a study has revealed.
Climate change worsened Asia's April heatwave by 2C - study
19 May 2023
Climate change raised temperatures by at least 2C in many parts of Asia last month as it suffered a crippling heatwave, a new study says.
Vietnam approves plan to boost wind, LNG by 2030
19 May 2023
Vietnam said on Tuesday it has approved a long-awaited power plan for this decade, in a move meant to boost wind energy and gas, while reducing reliance on coal.
Indonesia allows foreign entities to buy carbon credits from Jakarta
10 May 2023
The Indonesian government has decided to allow foreign entities to purchase credits in the Indonesian carbon market, paving the way for multinational companies and institutions to tap into the country’s large carbon trading potential.
India amends power policy draft to halt new coal-fired capacity
10 May 2023
India plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants, apart from those already in the pipeline, by removing a key clause from the final draft of its National Electricity Policy (NEP), in a major boost to fight climate change, sources said.
New Indonesian fund promotes Indigenous role in climate change fight
9 May 2023
Indonesian civil groups launched on Monday a multimillion-dollar fund aimed at empowering Indigenous and local communities across the Southeast Asian country in the fight against climate change.
Vietnam records highest-ever temperature of 44.1C
8 May 2023
Vietnam has recorded its highest ever temperature, just over 44 degrees - with experts predicting it would soon be surpassed because of climate change.
In coastal Bangladesh, climate change devastates women’s reproductive health
8 May 2023
On a cloudy Friday morning, Asma Akhter took a break from fishing for minnows. Her clothes still wet, she sat outside her two-room home, gazing out at the waters that are both her salvation and her doom.
Taiwan diary: Semiconductor manufacture drives emissions
4 May 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Taiwan is a superpower in two things, I confidently declared in my pitch for an Asia New Zealand Foundation Travel grant, bicycles and semi-conductors and both are crucial on the fight against climate change
Momentum grows over a 'just' climate transition in Japan
1 May 2023
It is perhaps fitting that April’s Group of Seven Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment was held in Sapporo, because the view on final approach to New Chitose Airport provides a good education on the trickier aspects of Japan’s climate challenge.
Taiwan’s Presidential Hackathon keen for Kiwi participants
19 Apr 2023
When you open your Uber app in Taiwan the first thing you notice is that you not only get to choose between different Uber drivers you can opt for a traditional taxi as well - often it’s the cheaper option.
Japanese climate group urges more renewable energy and effective carbon pricing
13 Apr 2023
Japanese companies and climate groups called on the government on Wednesday to step up the introduction of renewable energy and quickly adopt carbon pricing to tackle global warming.
Thailand to impose a carbon tax on three major economic sectors
11 Apr 2023
BANGKOK – The Excise Department plans to impose a carbon tax on the energy, transport and industrial sectors to help Thailand achieve its goals of carbon neutrality by 2050 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2063, as well as cut the cost of imported fuel.
Rich countries could learn from Bangladesh
5 Apr 2023
For anyone who has sweated through record-high temperatures or waded through floodwater, it will come as no surprise that Britain is “strikingly unprepared" for the effects of climate change. That’s the conclusion of a recent report published by the Climate Change Committee, the UK’s independent advisory body on climate policy to the government.
Taiwan diary: The e-scooter kingdom
30 Mar 2023
By Jeremy Rose | If I needed confirmation that Taiwan has morphed from the Bicycle Kingdom to the Scooter Kingdom I got it at the at the Net Zero City Expo that opened in Taipei this week.
Taiwan diary: Renewable energy 101
29 Mar 2023
Yi-Ting Lu and Ching-Wen Huang both started out as activists in Taiwan’s environmental movement.
Taiwan diary: The activists
28 Mar 2023
By Jeremy Rose | In 2018 climate activists in Taiwan occupied the site of a planned coal-fired power plant and stopped it being built.
Taiwan diary: fast trains, slow bikes and silent scooters
27 Mar 2023
By Jeremy Rose | The fastest I’ve ever travelled in a car is 200km/h - hitch-hiking in Germany; my top speed on a bicycle is about 90km - hurtling down the Ngauranga Gorge; this weekend I smashed those records on Taiwan ’s High Speed Rail reaching nearly 300km/h travelling between Taipei and Taichung,
Taiwan diary: Bicycle Kingdom
24 Mar 2023
Jeremy Rose | Just as the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan - formally known as the Republic of China - once competed for the title of Middle Kingdom the phrase Bicycle Kingdom has been liberally applied to both.
Weathering the storm: How Japan is factoring climate change into defence policy
20 Mar 2023
Storm surges, flooding, more powerful typhoons and scorching temperatures — climate change will bring more of all to Japan, endangering military sites, personnel and gear, but also putting Tokyo and the Indo-Pacific at greater risk of geopolitical shocks.
Lawyers and activists build pressure on Korean court to rule on climate
16 Mar 2023
Kim Seo-kyung was a teenager in March 2020, when she and 18 other members of campaign group Youth4ClimateAction filed the first climate lawsuit in Korea’s constitutional court, arguing that their government’s efforts to curb emissions fell far short of what was required.
Threat of rising seas to Asian megacities could be way worse than we thought, study warns
9 Mar 2023
Parts of Asia’s largest cities could be under water by 2100 thanks to rising sea levels, according to a new study that combines both the impact of climate change with natural oceanic fluctuations.
Eleven Asian countries agree to pursue 'practical' carbon neutrality
6 Mar 2023
Japan and a group of 10 other countries in Asia have agreed to pursue "practical pathways" for carbon neutrality through coordinated steps such as developing hydrogen supply chains and setting decarbonization standards while ensuring energy security
Is climate change killing the haiku?
2 Mar 2023
Even amid relentless modernisation and urbannisation, Japan offers many daily moments that remind us of the seasons. Pop songs celebrate love and, with the advent of spring, sakura (cherry blossoms); restaurants advertise seasonal delicacies, and formal letters open with references to the golden beauty of trees under the autumn sun or snow flurrying in the winter air.
Japan researchers working to reduce climate impact of cow burps
27 Feb 2023
The project led by Yasuo Kobayashi, a specially appointed professor in the Graduate School of Agriculture at Hokkaido University, aims to reduce cows' methane emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
The right way to repair a mountain
15 Feb 2023
A locally driven push to restore a Himalayan paradise preserved an economy, a community and an ecosystem all at once.
How India is battling deadly rain storms as climate change bites
9 Feb 2023
The rains did not let up all summer in 2018. By 14 August, most reservoirs had filled up and the people had grown weary of the monsoon.
Indonesia turns focus to floating solar with new 100MW tender
2 Feb 2023
Indonesian power company PLN Nusantara Power has launched a tender to develop a 100MW floating solar project in central East Java.
Architects design flood-resilient U-House near Japanese lake
31 Jan 2023
Japanese studio Ushijima Architects has completed a small wood-clad house in Shiga Prefecture, with living spaces raised on a concrete base to help mitigate the risk of flooding.
Five huge climate opportunities await the next Australian parliament – and it has the numbers to deliver
Mon 12 May 2025
Australians have returned an expanded Labor Party to government alongside a suite of climate-progressive independents. Meanwhile, the Coalition – which promoted nuclear energy and a slower renewables transition – suffered a historic defeat.
How business and finance are really talking about climate change
Tue 13 May 2025
To many, the real draw of the conference is the behind-the-scenes discussions—an opportunity for information gathering and dealmaking.
China’s electric vehicle industry is preparing to take on the world. Is America ready?
7 May 2025
his year’s Shanghai auto show has a clear message for visitors: China is now a global leader in innovation, and it wants the world to know.
Germany’s €100 billion green gamble: Inside the nation’s bold climate investment
Tue 13 May 2025
In the race for a net-zero future —Germany’s latest €100 billion climate investment package is so large it has been dubbed a "green bombshell."
Deadly April rainfall in US South and Midwest was intensified by climate change, scientists say
Mon 12 May 2025
Human-caused climate change intensified deadly rainfall in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and other states in early April and made it more likely to occur.
It’s time for Canada’s Mark Carney to think big on climate, experts say
30 Apr 2025
Even Carney’s climate background wasn’t enough to put climate action on center stage.
Nauru sells citizenship to help fund relocations as sea levels rise
27 Feb 2025
A new 'golden passport' scheme aims to raise funds to relocate people inland as climate change raises sea levels.
I just returned from Antarctica: climate change isn’t some far-off problem – it’s here and hitting hard
Tue 13 May 2025
Antarctica is often viewed as the last truly remote place on Earth – frozen, wild and untouched. But is it really as untouched as it seems?
Heat extremes in southern Africa might continue even if net-zero emissions are achieved
Tue 13 May 2025
Will reaching net zero have any effect on heat extremes, particularly in Africa?
Who has the right to decide what happens on indigenous lands?
7 May 2025
In Ecuador, Indigenous communities are fighting for stronger safeguards to protect their sovereignty as more oil drilling looms. A right to say no to unwanted development could revolutionize consultation processes used around the world.
Nations agree on carbon-pricing system to steer shipping towards net-zero
14 Apr 2025
Nations have agreed to introduce a worldwide carbon-pricing system for international shipping to drive the sector towards net-zero emissions by 2050.
