International: Asia
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.
A mangrove revolution: How Egypt is prioritising climate projects in the run-up to COP27
3 May 2022
Forty-eight-year-old Abu el-Hassan Saleh spent a lot of his childhood in his Red Sea home village of Al-Quweh, exploring the lush strips of mangroves that covered, at the time, swathes of Egypt’s expansive coastline.
This is what the world’s first floating city will look like
2 May 2022
The world’s first prototype floating city that adapts to sea level rise has just been unveiled at UN headquarters in New York.
Climate change is making India’s brutal heat waves worse
29 Apr 2022
Heat waves are scorching India and Pakistan this week, breaking records as the region enters the hottest time of the year.
Heat wave in India threatens residents and crucial wheat harvest
28 Apr 2022
A record-breaking heat wave in India exposing hundreds of millions to dangerous temperatures is damaging the country’s wheat harvest, which experts say could hit countries seeking to make up imports of the food staple from conflict-riven Ukraine.
Climate change not limited to national boundaries, it will affect us all: Dalai Lama
26 Apr 2022
“People need to take urgent steps to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and to adopt renewable sources of energy such as those that rely on the power of the Sun and the wind,” the Dalai Lama said.
Cost of carbon on the rise in South Korea
12 Apr 2022
Soaring carbon costs are adding up for companies in Korea as the government is set to tighten environmental rules.
Indonesia delays carbon tax till July to help economic recovery
6 Apr 2022
Indonesia is delaying the roll-out of its carbon tax to July from April, a move that analysts say will help its economic recovery amid surging energy prices and support businesses.
Taiwan vows US$32 billon spending spree on clean energy as it lags on climate targets
31 Mar 2022
Taiwan is planning a massive clean energy spending spree until 2030 to redouble climate efforts after government officials said they were likely to miss 2025 targets.
Carbon market for Indonesia
30 Mar 2022
CarbonX, an Indonesian high-impact carbon asset developer, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the world’s first fully digital carbon exchange to develop a carbon marketplace in Indonesia.
Indian forest loss ‘worse than feared’ due to climate change
25 Mar 2022
Forest loss in India could become an even bigger problem than anticipated in the coming years, with new research revealing climate change has caused significant recent losses.
South Korea commits to slashing emissions
23 Mar 2022
South Korea has passed the Carbon Neutrality Act which commits the country to cutting emissions to 40% of those in 2018 by 2030.
Carbon trading platform launched in Singapore
23 Mar 2022
Climate Impact X (CIX), a global carbon exchange and marketplace, has launched a new, Singapore-based digital carbon credit trading platform called Project Marketplace.
Mumbai announces net zero by 2050 plan
14 Mar 2022
Maharashtra's capital city Mumbai on Sunday announced a detailed plan to zero out carbon emissions by 2050, a target that puts it two decades ahead of India’s national goal and makes it the first city in South Asia to set such a timeline.
Truck maker Hino Motors reveals it faked emissions data
7 Mar 2022
Leading truck maker Hino Motors Ltd. admitted to falsifying the results of tests for exhaust emissions and fuel economy of three types of engines over a number of years
Cyclone risks are intensifying for India due to climate change
1 Mar 2022
Increasing temperatures in the north Indian Ocean is spurring more intense cyclones that spell trouble for India's densely-populated coastal regions. And climate change is to blame, according to a new study.
Why climate change talk must focus on water
14 Feb 2022
Nothing works like clarity in getting things done. And the world needs to get down its carbon emissions to keep it habitable for most of us in the not-too-distant future. Naturally, then, most climate conversations revolve around carbon, with political and business leaders jumping onto the Net Zero bandwagon. So why muddy the waters, by talking about, um, water?
Ice that took roughly 2,000 years to form on Mt. Everest has melted in around 25
8 Feb 2022
The highest glacier on the world's tallest mountain is losing decades worth of ice every year because of human-induced climate change, a new study shows.
Climate action takes centre stage in first Indian budget since COP26
3 Feb 2022
The first Union Budget since India joined the bandwagon of economies committed to becoming net carbon zero, focused on energy transition and climate action. However, it fell short of making significant budgetary allocation to key sectors of energy efficiency, sustainability and clean tech.
How "cool roofs" are helping women earn more in India
2 Feb 2022
During the scorching midday heat in Behrampura, a slum in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, it can be difficult to breathe, let alone get any work done. Throughout the summer, peak daytime temperatures often exceed 38C. Crowded and cramped housing, a lack of ventilation and the prevalence of cheap, heat-trapping materials such as metal roofs magnify that heat to even more unbearable levels.
Norway underpaid Indonesia for forest protection results: study
26 Jan 2022
Norway’s scheme to reduce emissions from deforestation in Indonesia made only a tiny dent in meeting the nation’s climate target – but the forest nation deserved to have been paid more for it, a study has found.
Scientists warn climate change could unleash ‘rivers in the sky’
25 Jan 2022
The planet’s warming climate could intensify ‘rivers in the sky’ over East Asia, scientists have warned.
Activists demand Indonesian climate leadership during G20 presidency
20 Dec 2021
Indonesia should use its year-long Group of 20 presidency to lead member countries in the delivery of their climate commitments, youth activists have said.
Japan eyes carbon credits with decarbonisation drive
17 Dec 2021
Japan is gearing up to develop a carbon credit market in the country, which it views as increasingly necessary for offsetting remaining greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to achieve its 2050 carbon neutral goal.
How Bangladesh’s poor are paying the costs of climate damage
14 Dec 2021
When Cyclone Yaas slammed into her home in southwest Bangladesh in May, destroying it and sweeping away in the floodwaters the small amount of cash she had saved, Amina Begum had few options.
India not a climate villain: opinion
7 Dec 2021
India has somehow emerged as the villain of last month’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), blamed for resisting cuts to coal consumption even as toxic air envelops its capital, New Delhi. Shashi Tharoor argues that's unfair.
Is colonial history repeating itself with Sabah forest carbon deal?
2 Dec 2021
To the surprise of Indigenous and local communities, a huge forest carbon conservation agreement was recently signed in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo.
Knesset committee calls for climate change to be seen as a national security issue
18 Nov 2021
Members of Israel's foreign affairs defence committee have called for the government and security services to take the issue of climate change more seriously and to consider it a national security issue in light of the clear threats posed by global warming.
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.
