International: Asia
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.
The flooding in Pakistan is a climate catastrophe with political roots
31 Aug 2022
Flash floods over the weekend left one-third of Pakistan submerged from weeks of heavy rains, compounding an already difficult set of political and economic crises in the country.
Pakistan pins deadly floods on climate change
29 Aug 2022
Deaths from widespread flooding in Pakistan topped 1,000 since mid-June, officials said Sunday, as the country's climate minister called the deadly monsoon season "a serious climate catastrophe."
‘Climate change to impact 2 billion people’
23 Aug 2022
An irreversible decline in freshwater storage projected in parts of Asia due to climate change could impact 2 billion people living downstream of the Tibetan Plateau as it could pose a serious threat to water supplies to India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan by mid-century, according to the satellite-based assessment of water changes in Tibetan Plateau.
How climate change threatens Kashmir's crucial apple industry
19 Aug 2022
As Indian-administered Kashmir continues to witness abnormally high temperatures, apple growers fear that climate change will wipe out the region's orchards — which produce 80% of India's apples.
India bares new climate goals amid coal dependency woes
18 Aug 2022
India has gotten its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) approved by the Cabinet. This will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). NDCs, which are long-term voluntary commitments made by countries signatory to the Paris Agreement, make up a global effort to reduce emissions and global warming.
As stronger storms hit Bangladesh farmers, banks are climate collateral damage
16 Aug 2022
Wasim Ali, 45, lived in one of the 55,000 houses destroyed by the deadly Super Cyclone Amphan in May of 2020. The tropical storm whipped up a tidal surge that swept away his house and razed his small farm, measuring just 0.4 hectares (1 acre). Thousands of people were left destitute after this massive natural disaster. But for Wasim Ali, a resident of Protapnagar in Bangladesh’s southwestern Satkhira district, the misery runs deeper.
After deluge, climate change fears make S.Korea prioritise Seoul flood defences
12 Aug 2022
The heaviest rain in Seoul in 115 years has spurred the South Korean capital to revive a $1.15 billion plan to improve drainage after floods exposed how even the affluent Gangnam district is vulnerable to climate change-driven extreme weather.
'The Sacrifice Zone': Myanmar bears cost of green energy
11 Aug 2022
The birds no longer sing, and the herbs no longer grow. The fish no longer swim in rivers that have turned a murky brown. The animals do not roam, and the cows are sometimes found dead.
India developing a carbon market
5 Aug 2022
India is developing its carbon market by undergoing several climate action plans in just a matter of days. The world’s 3rd-biggest emitter planned to set up a carbon credit market for the hard-to-abate sectors. These would initially include energy, steel, and cement industries.
India approves climate plan with increased ambition, clarifying energy goals
4 Aug 2022
India’s cabinet has approved an updated national climate plan, cementing targets pledged by Narendra Modi in November, including a 2070 net zero goal and 45% reduction in emissions intensity by 2030.
Nepal’s citizen scientists track climate change
1 Aug 2022
The village of Phorste below Mt Everest has the highest number of high altitude guides who have died climbing in the Himalaya, but its Sherpas inhabitants are now being recruited to also become citizens scientists.
Mideast nations wake up to damage from climate change
26 Jul 2022
Temperatures in the Middle East have risen far faster than the world’s average in the past three decades. Precipitation has been decreasing, and experts predict droughts will come with greater frequency and severity.
Pakistan's largest city battered by torrential rain as climate crisis makes weather more unpredictable
26 Jul 2022
Public services in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, have been suspended and businesses are being urged to close, as torrential rains cause deadly flash flooding and infrastructure damage, leaving at least 15 dead since Saturday.
India plans $10 billion electric bus contract to curb emissions
21 Jul 2022
State-controlled Convergence Energy Services Ltd. is planning a $10-billion tender for 50,000 electric buses that will drive India’s plans to decarbonize public transport and help meet its goals for net zero emissions.
Indonesian islanders sue cement giant Holcim over climate damage
13 Jul 2022
Residents of Pulau Pari, an Indonesian island threatened by rising sea levels, are suing cement giant Holcim over its carbon dioxide emissions, a Swiss charity said on Tuesday.
Hong Kong launches international carbon council, to support cross-border trading
7 Jul 2022
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, or HKEX, has launched the Hong Kong International Carbon Market Council, the exchange said in a statement late July 5, with developing an international carbon market as its principal focus.
No power, no fans, no AC: The villagers fighting to survive India’s deadly heatwaves
6 Jul 2022
Suman Shakya wants me to touch the concrete wall of her bedroom, where her one-year-old son lies soaked with sweat. It burns my hand as if it were a hot pan. “Now imagine sitting in front of a hot pan in this weather for as long as it takes to make rotis for the whole family,” she says.
Thailand and Switzerland sign world’s first country-to-country carbon offsetting pact
27 Jun 2022
Thailand and Switzerland have signed the world’s first country-to-country cooperation pact on offsetting carbon emissions.
In hottest city on Earth, mothers bear brunt of climate change
16 Jun 2022
Heavily pregnant Sonari toils under the burning sun in fields dotted with bright yellow melons in Jacobabad, which last month became the hottest city on Earth.
Singapore's dengue 'emergency' is a climate change omen for the world
8 Jun 2022
Singapore says it is facing a dengue "emergency" as it grapples with an outbreak of the seasonal disease that has come unusually early this year.
Temasek commits US$3.6 billion to launch climate-focused investment platform
7 Jun 2022
Singapore's state-owned investor Temasek said on Monday it would invest an initial amount of S$5 billion (US$3.64 billion) to establish an investment platform GenZero, in a step towards driving its net-zero emission targets.
Hyundai accused of ‘greenwash’ after u-turn on pledge to use only clean energy
2 Jun 2022
Hyundai has come under fire for announcing a plan to build a natural gas-fired power station soon after pledging to use only renewable energy.
'A sign of things to come': India and Pakistan heatwave made 30 times more likely by climate change, study finds
25 May 2022
The savage heatwave that has scorched India and Pakistan in recent months was made more likely by climate change and is a harbinger of the region's future, scientists have said in a new study.
After renewables frenzy, Vietnam’s solar energy goes to waste
19 May 2022
For up to 12 days every month, Tran Nhu Anh Kiet, a supermarket manager in Vietnam’s Ninh Thuan province, is forced to turn off his solar panels during the most lucrative peak sunshine hours.
Over 90 million Indians at risk of hunger due to climate change: report
16 May 2022
The effects of climate change will put 9.06 crore [90 million] Indians at risk of hunger in the next eight years, according to the Global Food Policy Report 2022 on ‘Climate change and food systems’ by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Philippines' court declares fossil fuel companies' climate liabilities a human rights issue
16 May 2022
When Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in 2013, it made a direct hit on the hometown of Yeb Saño’s family. Saño,the country’s chief climate negotiator at the time, had to attend the United Nations climate change conference in Poland only days after the storm passed. As he addressed the other delegates, his brother was helping collect the dead.
Bangladeshi children leaving school to work due to climate crisis
10 May 2022
Twelve-year-old Alamin’s house rested on the bank of the Ilsha River in southern Bangladesh until last year, when the surging river eroded it and the family’s farmland away, forcing them to flee to a slum in Keraniganj, close to the capital Dhaka
Singapore carbon exchange targets futures trading with German bourse
10 May 2022
A Singapore carbon exchange is teaming up with Germany's main bourse to launch futures trading for carbon offsets as early as this year to meet the growing demand from companies to hedge their risks from greenhouse gas emissions.
Indian court finds nature has same rights humans
9 May 2022
The highest court in one of India’s 28 states ruled last month that “Mother Nature” has the same legal status as a human being, which includes “all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person.”
Israel advances its first Climate Bill in bid to hit emission goals
9 May 2022
After several delays, and in what Israel environmental protection minister Tamar Zandberg hailed as a “historic moment,” the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday approved Israel’s first Climate Bill
India and Pakistan heatwave is 'testing the limits of human survivability' - expert
4 May 2022
Temperatures in parts of India and Pakistan have reached record levels, putting the lives of millions at risk as the effects of the climate crisis are felt across the subcontinent
Major Japan railway now powered only by renewable energy
4 May 2022
Tokyo’s Shibuya is famed for its Scramble Crossing, where crowds of people crisscross the intersection in a scene symbolizing urban Japan’s congestion and anonymity. It may have added another boasting right.
Scorching weather forces India to face climate change head on
3 May 2022
New Delhi, India – Construction worker Gujral Singh tears up as he voices his concerns about toiling in India’s searing heat this summer.
Australian Labor Party under internal pressure to commit to at least 70% emissions reduction by 2035
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The party’s grassroots campaigners have urged its leadership to ignore business warnings about the cost of setting an ‘ambitious’ target.
US warns nations to reject ship fuel emissions deal or face tariffs
5 Sep 2025
The United States has warned countries to reject a United Nations plan aimed at cutting fuel emissions from ships or face retaliation in the form of tariffs, port levies, and visa restrictions, according to U.S. and European officials.
China on course to peak fossil fuel power as soon as this year, reports say
Thu 11 Sep 2025
The Asian nation’s energy transition is entering a new phase, with soaring renewables reducing demand for fossil fuels, analysis shows.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
Ex-actor Zack Polanski's unusual path to become UK Green Party's new leader
Tue 9 Sep 2025
Zack Polanski has stormed to victory in the Green Party leadership election on a platform promising bold communication and "eco-populism".
Carney government noncommittal about Canada meeting 2030 climate goals
Tue 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.
Australian PM says Vanuatu security, climate agreement delayed
Thu 11 Sep 2025
PM Anthony Albanese says he won’t sign Nakamal Agreement in Vanuatu, despite recent high-level talks on the pact.
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.
Second Africa Climate Summit seeks to jump hurdles to green industrialisation
Wed 10 Sep 2025
A report on progress since the first summit in 2023 says financial, infrastructure and trade obstacles are hampering “climate-positive growth” on the continent.
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 pushes countries for new climate targets this month
Tue 9 Sep 2025
The United Nations urged countries on Wednesday to set more ambitious climate plans during this month, seeking to pressure major economies including the EU and China ahead of this year's U.N. climate summit.
