International: Asia

Climate change in South China Sea will impact global weather: experts
25 Jan 2024
The impact of climate change in the South China Sea and its surrounding areas on the local and global weather system could be “profound,” new scientific research has found.

Bangladeshi farmers eye drought-resistant tree as a climate and economic solution
25 Jan 2024
Farmers in Bangladesh are increasingly turning to the fast-growing, drought-resistant moringa tree, which is indigenous to South Asian nations.

Fiscal reforms needed to address global problems like climate change and ageing
24 Jan 2024
The world needs to cut high levels of debt and raise tax revenues to deal with challenges such as climate change and rapid ageing in developed countries, said Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Bottom trawling is kicking up tons of carbon dioxide
23 Jan 2024
Your shrimp cocktail comes with a side of carbon dioxide, according to scientists who have for the first time quantified greenhouse emissions caused by a destructive fishing technique known as bottom trawling.

Here’s why climate change in Afghanistan has global repercussions
13 Dec 2023
Severe droughts are exacerbating Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, but funding for climate change adaptation is frozen.

Iraqis displaced by climate change fall into poverty
23 Nov 2023
In a country of 43 million people, nearly one Iraqi in five lives in an area suffering from water shortages.

The reappearing forests of West Bengal
15 Nov 2023
The trees in this corner of India vanished decades ago, leaving heat waves and drought. What happened when they returned proves the healing power of reforestation.

Bangladesh cyclone forces nearly 275,000 to evacuate
27 Oct 2023
Cyclone Hamoon, the latest of the numerous and deadly weather events affecting the country and creating climate refugees, has killed at least 2 and left at least 10 injured.

Over a year after Pakistan floods, survivors battle climate anxiety
25 Oct 2023
Climate anxiety among the flood-affected communities across the South Asian nation has failed to make headlines.

Carbon pricing efforts accelerate in Asia
20 Oct 2023
Asia is emerging as the key catalyst for growth in carbon trading, though the region’s markets currently cover only a fraction of emissions that account for half the world’s total.

Tokyo Stock Exchange begins trade in carbon credits
12 Oct 2023
Japan's Tokyo Stock Exchange started trading carbon credits on Wednesday, as the world's fifth-largest carbon dioxide emitter put in place a key element of its strategy to tackle climate change.

How the tiny island city-state of Singapore fights rising sea levels
11 Oct 2023
During a half-century of independence, Singapore has fought to expand its territory, inch by hard-won inch.

Peace has not stopped Afghanistan’s depopulation
10 Oct 2023
Climate change is bringing about more devastation, forcing more Afghans to flee. Deportations from neighbouring countries will not stop them.

Glacial lake bursts in India leaving 100 missing and 14 dead
6 Oct 2023
More than 100 people are missing in India’s northeast after heavy rain caused a glacial lake to burst, leading to flash floods which ripped through the Himalayan state of Sikkim.

Vietnamese climate activist jailed in ‘unjust’ government crackdown
2 Oct 2023
Five environmentalists have been jailed in the last two years, while the government works on a clean energy partnership with rich nations.

How climate change threatens some of the world’s most coveted real estate
26 Sep 2023
Until recently, the upscale homes of the Redhill Peninsula seemed like an oasis for rich Hong Kongers aspiring to a tranquil lifestyle in an otherwise notoriously cramped metropolis of 7.5 million.

Court ruling spares Papua forest from further clearing for palm oil
15 Sep 2023
An Indonesian court has upheld a government decision to curb the expansion of a multibillion-dollar oil palm plantation project in the country’s easternmost region of Papua.

India launches global biofuel alliance at G20
12 Sep 2023
India has announced the launch of a global biofuel alliance at a G20 summit in New Delhi to boost the use of cleaner fuels.

India steps up coal use amid unusually dry weather
7 Sep 2023
India stepped up the use of coal to generate electricity in a bid to stop outages caused by lower hydroelectricity output, and as renewables struggle to keep pace with record power demand.

Pakistan faced with deep-rooted energy crisis after catastrophic floods
6 Sep 2023
Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world. It is currently in the midst of a crippling energy and economic crisis that has brought it to the brink of bankruptcy.

Indonesia climate deal in $20bn gridlock as Vietnam, India on hold
6 Sep 2023
Last November, G20 leaders in Bali hailed what they said was a transformational climate change finance deal to help wean Indonesia off coal.

In a world of climate risks, Sri Lanka is finding ways to adapt
1 Sep 2023
In a landscape of interconnected and mutually compounding risks, climate change has emerged as a key risk factor for Sri Lanka, specifically for vulnerable sectors and groups.

First crops, now animals: Climate change hurts Bangladesh farmers
29 Aug 2023
Bangladeshi farmers are adapting to deal with worsening salinity and climate change, yet fears are growing for their livestock.

50% of Asia’s protein must be animal-free by 2060 to reach net zero
22 Aug 2023
Countries in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific must increase their alt-protein production by 2030 to help mitigate the climate crisis, as animal protein and its associated emissions must peak by the end of the decade, says a new report.

Indonesia’s $20bn energy transition plan continues increased decarbonisation focus
21 Aug 2023
Indonesia’s decarbonisation efforts are reflected in increasing mentions in company filings of renewable energy, climate change and the environment.

Over 50 killed in Indian Himalayas as rain triggers landslides
16 Aug 2023
Torrential rain in India's Himalayas triggered landslides over the weekend that have killed over 50 people, with the death toll expected to rise as more than 20 remain trapped or missing.

UN: South Asian children face highest level of heat in the world
10 Aug 2023
About 460 million children, about 76%, are exposed to extreme heat in South Asia, compared to a third of children globally, UNICEF said.

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.