International: Asia
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.
From China to Japan, extreme cold is gripping East Asia. Experts say it’s the ‘new norm’
26 Jan 2023
Tens of millions of people across East Asia braved a severe cold snap Wednesday as subzero temperatures and heavy snow brought travel chaos during the Lunar New Year holiday, with climate experts warning that such extreme weather events had become the “new norm.”
Pakistan’s climate migrants face tough odds
22 Dec 2022
When floodwaters submerged their farm in 2011, Kashif Abro and his family sought refuge in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, around 250 miles away.
Indonesia’s renewed climate targets still critically insufficient: research group
21 Dec 2022
Indonesia’s climate targets are “critically insufficient,” a global climate research consortium has said, despite the country’s renewed emission target.
Climate action delivers air quality & health gains in India
20 Dec 2022
New research shows how city actions to address climate change in India can deliver health benefits from cleaner air.
Facing headwinds at home, Europe and Japan are pushing waste-to-energy technology across South East Asia
20 Dec 2022
For decades, waste-to-energy has been a key waste management tool in developed countries. Now, they are looking to developing markets. There are dozens of waste-to-energy incineration plants planned or under construction across South East Asia using Japanese and European technology and framed as clean or renewable.
Tokyo's solar panel mandate a major shift in a country where fossil fuels reign
19 Dec 2022
Chisan chishō — meaning locally grown, locally consumed — is a phrase traditionally associated with agricultural products. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, however, is now trying to do the same for the city’s energy sources.
How Bhutan could provide the blueprint for climate-smart forest economies
16 Dec 2022
Sandwiched between Tibet and India in Southern Asia, the Kingdom of Bhutan is a rapidly developing country with a fast-growing population that is creating an increasing demand for urban housing.
EV charging facility owners in Hong Kong can soon make money by selling carbon credits
13 Dec 2022
Hong Kong owners of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure will soon be able to earn revenue by selling carbon credits generated by their facilities through the city’s bourse, according to a local provider of charging equipment and software.
Developed countries not sincere about climate justice, says India's foreign minister
13 Dec 2022
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has criticised developed countries for backtracking on promises to help nations vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Egypt’s Great Pyramids and the Sphinx could be lost to climate change: experts
8 Dec 2022
Egypt’s world-famous antiquities, including the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza, could be lost to climate change by the end of the century, experts warn.
Indian Railways aims to achieve net zero carbon cmission By 2030
8 Dec 2022
Indian Railways (IR) on Wednesday said it has envisioned to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2030.
Indonesia to build coal plants despite $20b deal on clean energy transition
5 Dec 2022
Indonesia will continue building new coal-fired power plants, despite a recent $20 billion deal with the G7 group of industrialized countries to help it transition to clean energy.
China petrochemicals sector likely to miss 2030 peak carbon target
29 Nov 2022
China’s petrochemical sector may reach peak carbon emissions only by 2035 – five years later than the national target – a Peking University report has found.
Decarbonising real estate: How to price the net zero transition to avoid a 'carbon bubble'
29 Nov 2022
Real estate is the largest asset class in the world and it’s also one of the most significant contributors to global carbon emissions.
Sri Lanka university aims to be the country’s first to go carbon neutral
28 Nov 2022
The University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ) in Sri Lanka has assessed its carbon footprint under ISO standards and has now become the country’s first university to be carbon audited.
The World Cup in Qatar is a climate catastrophe
24 Nov 2022
When the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the world’s governing body for soccer, proclaimed that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would be “a fully carbon-neutral event,” the collective chortle that emerged from environmentalists could have powered a wind farm.
How Japan is preparing for the global energy crisis
23 Nov 2022
The global energy crisis impacts everything from our daily lives to corporate activities. In Japan, there are growing fears that the supply and demand of electricity will be strained this winter.
How herbivores can help tackle climate change
22 Nov 2022
Large grass-eating mammals such as yak and ibex play a crucial role in stabilising the pool of soil carbon in grazing ecosystems that are a big part of the Earth’s land surface, new research shows.
Indonesia forest loss released carbon equal to Ukraine fossil-fuel use in 2021
21 Nov 2022
Destruction of forests in Indonesia released more greenhouse gases than Ukraine’s consumption of fossil fuels last year, even after taking into account newly sequestered carbon in the Southeast Asian nation’s trees, according to data non-profit CTrees released at the COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Who will pay for Indonesia's clean energy bill?
16 Nov 2022
Celukan Bawang power station is one of a growing network of coal-fired power plants in Indonesia that are now the subject of complex negotiations to reduce the country's emissions.
Japan’s changing nuclear energy policy
15 Nov 2022
On August 24, 2022, at the newly established GX (Green Transformation) Implementation Council chaired by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, the Japanese government announced a new nuclear energy policy.
Farmers in India are fighting climate change and desertification using nature
14 Nov 2022
A handful of dirt filled with earthworms might not seem like much, but it's the result of seven years of work.
In Mongolia, a quest to democratise carbon credits
11 Nov 2022
For several years, The Asia Foundation’s Mongolia office in Ulaanbaatar has been working to reduce their carbon footprint.
Japan delays carbon tax reform to curb living costs
9 Nov 2022
Japan is delaying plans to revise how it taxes carbon, the Nikkei newspaper reported, potentially slowing efforts to wean itself off fossil fuels.
Indonesia weighs blockchain-powered carbon trading scheme
2 Nov 2022
Indonesia wants to direct the blockchain craze toward greener use. The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Metaverse Green Exchange (MVGX), a Singaporean startup that specializes in digital exchange technology.
Singapore explores hybrid wind, solar, tidal, & wave energy system
31 Oct 2022
Singapore has lots of inhabitants but not a lot of available land for solar panels and wind turbines. It does have a lot of open ocean to the south in the Singapore Strait, however. What it wants is renewable energy to power its economy that is reliable, consistent, and dependable.
What Bangladesh can teach the World about talking about climate change
27 Oct 2022
All lights are out here in my home city of Dhaka as I write these words. Cyclone Sitrang has knocked out the electricity in Bangladesh’s capital, plunging this city of 22 million people into darkness.
India gets ready to launch a national carbon market
20 Oct 2022
The Indian government has green-lighted the creation of a national carbon market that will be key to decarbonising heavy industry and helping shape international carbon trading.
Pakistan suffered climate-induced losses worth $29bn in past three decades: World Bank
17 Oct 2022
Climate-related disasters in Pakistan have resulted in economic losses of $29 billion over the past thirty years, according to a report by the World Bank.
Gujarat: Modhera to be declared first solar-powered village by PM
10 Oct 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare Modhera in Mehsana as the country’s first round-the-clock solar-powered village on October 9 during his three-day visit to Gujarat, stated an official release.
How the EU's new energy plans impact Southeast Asia
29 Sep 2022
As European countries turn to energy suppliers in Southeast Asia, driving up global prices, there are concerns that other developing countries are being forced to spend more on increasingly expensive liquified natural gas or coal.
We owe Pakistan climate reparations
21 Sep 2022
It is almost impossible to comprehend the scale of the crisis Pakistan is facing. A third of the country has been flooded, 1400 people killed, one million homes destroyed, and fifty million people—almost the entire population of England—have been displaced from their homes as a result of this ecological crisis.
India to expand 2.8 million hectares of tree coverage under ‘trees outside forests in india’ initiative
16 Sep 2022
In an effort to support global climate change mitigation and adaptation goals, India and the US jointly launched an initiative to increase tree coverage outside of forest lands in India.
Vietnam urged to free green activist Nguy Thi Khanh as it bids to join UN rights body
15 Sep 2022
More than 50 Goldman environmental prize laureates from 41 countries have written to the UN human rights council as it considers admitting Vietnam as a new member.
Norway buys carbon credits from Indonesia’s rainforest
14 Sep 2022
Indonesia and Norway have agreed to start a new partnership to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation in the Southeast Asian country.
Bhutan - 'carbon negative"
13 Sep 2022
As the world’s richest countries fail to meet emissions reductions targets year after year, the small kingdom of Bhutan, tucked away in the Himalayas with a population of less than one million people, became the first country to reach carbon neutrality.
Pakistan is bearing the brunt of the climate crisis despite ‘small carbon footprint,’ minister says
7 Sep 2022
Pakistan is facing the worst consequences of the climate crisis thanks in part to the actions of the developed world, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said, as the country battles the worst floods in its history.
How Indian EV startups are mobilising mass adoption
6 Sep 2022
The Indian automobile industry is the fifth largest in the world, with a goal of becoming the third largest by 2030.
Indonesia’s push to reach net zero emissions can help power a new phase in its economic development
5 Sep 2022
Indonesia has a target to meet net zero emissions by 2060, and is reaching a new phase of economic development to do so.
Warmer seas fuel dangerous ‘weather bomb’ in New South Wales
Thu 3 Jul 2025
If the storm shapes up as predicted, we can expect to see damage to houses and trees as well as significant beach erosion – especially in heavily populated areas exposed to the storm’s southern flank.
What’s at risk for Arctic wildlife if Trump expands oil drilling in fragile northern Alaska
Today 10:30am
The area is vital for the health of the planet. However, its future is at risk.
Floods swamp cities in Southwest China with more storms due
26 Jun 2025
Citizens in Guizhou and other parts of southern China have been swamped by days of record-breaking rainfall as the East Asia monsoon kicked into high gear over the past week.
EU Commission proposes allowing carbon offsets to help meet 2040 climate goal
Today 10:30am
Campaigners accuse the European Commission of adding “loopholes” and “distractions” to the 90% emissions reduction target.
Activists protest at London headquarters of global ad giant promoting fossil fuels
Thu 3 Jul 2025
The agency’s work for the fossil fuel industry has made it “complicit in causing existential harm to people and planet”, say campaigners, who are calling on WPP to drop those clients.
Is Mark Carney turning his back on climate action?
23 Jun 2025
The G7 summit in Alberta, hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has ended with only passing mention of fighting climate change, including a statement on wildfires that is silent on the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Nearly a third of Tuvaluans have applied for climate migration visa
27 Jun 2025
With their country threatened by sea level rise, the people of Tuvalu have been offered an escape route through an agreement with Australia, and many are contemplating leaving their home.
I just returned from Antarctica: climate change isn’t some far-off problem – it’s here and hitting hard
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?
Congo death toll hits 77 after extreme weather brings floods and sinks boats, 107 remain missing
18 Jun 2025
Authorities in Congo said the death toll following devastating floods and separate boat accidents has reached 77, with more than 100 people missing.
‘We are perilously close to the point of no return’: climate scientist on Amazon rainforest’s future
Tue 1 Jul 2025
Carlos Nobre, who has fought for decades to save the rainforest, says up to 70% of it could be lost if a tipping point is reached.
UN expert urges criminalising fossil fuel disinformation, banning lobbying
Today 10:30am
Rapporteur calls for defossilisation of economies and urgent reparations to avert ‘catastrophic’ rights and climate harms.
