International: Asia
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.
Dehli considering lockdowns to deal with emissions
16 Nov 2021
The Delhi government has told the Supreme Court that it is ready to take steps like complete lockdown to control local emissions.
Bornean communities locked into 2-million-hectare carbon deal they don’t know about
11 Nov 2021
Leaders in Sabah, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, have signed a profit-sharing deal to market carbon and other natural capital from more than 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) of the state’s forests for at least the next 100 years. But the communities living in and around those forests know next to nothing about it.
India lost $87bn due to natural disasters last year: WMO
27 Oct 2021
India lost $87 billion last year due to natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, floods and droughts, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
India wants compensation for climate damage caused by rich nations
26 Oct 2021
India is seeking payment for the losses caused by climate disasters, its environment ministry said while laying out the country's positions on critical issues that will be negotiated at the United Nations' COP26 climate summit in the coming weeks.
South Korea aims to cut carbon emissions by 40% in 2030
19 Oct 2021
South Korea set a new goal on Monday for fighting climate change over the next decade, saying it will aim to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 2018 levels by 2030.
Indian teen inventor's solar-powered ironing cart
15 Oct 2021
Ironing vendors are common across India. The irons are heated using charcoal, a fuel that contributes to air pollution. But Vinisha Umashankar, a 14-year-old girl from Tamil Nadu, has found a clean solution.
Japan eyes international carbon offsets to deliver 2030 emission cuts
14 Oct 2021
The Japanese government will use international offsets as part of a plan to cut emissions 46% between 2013 and 2030, it said in a document to the UN.
1 degree rise in temperature may shrink India’s GDP by 3%
8 Oct 2021
India’s gross domestic product (GDP) could shrink by three per cent a year if climate change leads to rise in temperature by one degree Celsius, a new study has found.
Climate change is threatening Komodo dragons
6 Sep 2021
Scaly and with forked tongues, Komodo dragons are the largest lizards to still walk the Earth. But their days here may be numbered because of climate change a new report claims.
Solar ‘boom’ times as Lebanon’s fossil fuels run dry
3 Sep 2021
With electricity becoming a scarce commodity, thousands of well-off Lebanese are rushing to alternative energy.
Singapore exchange to tighten climate rules
31 Aug 2021
The Singapore Exchange will ask all companies listed on its exchange to disclose climate-related information or explain why they cannot do so.
Climate change will lead to changes in crop diseases
24 Aug 2021
A new study that looked at climate change models has predicted that with rising temperatures, the burden of crop diseases will increase in some parts of the world and fall in others.
Steelmaker ArcelorMittal's $10 billion climate plan
17 Aug 2021
Steelmaking giant ArcelorMittal has announced plans to cut its carbon intensity by a quarter by 2030 from 2018 levels, backed by $10 billion investment over the next decade to help support its transition away from fossil fuels towards greener manufacturing technologies and clean energy sources.
Indonesia urged to ban new oil palm plantations forever
12 Aug 2021
Indonesia should make permanent its temporary ban on new permits for oil palm plantations to advance progress on tackling deforestation and meet its climate goals, environmentalists say.
The IPCC environmental warning India cannot ignore
11 Aug 2021
If the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was just about rushing countries to cut their carbon emissions to avoid a climate catastrophe, India could perhaps afford to look the other way.
South Korea sets 3 options for carbon reduction
6 Aug 2021
The Korean Presidential Committee on Carbon Neutrality yesterday unveiled three options for reducing carbon emissions by 2050, but only one of them achieves carbon neutrality.
Israel announces carbon tax
4 Aug 2021
Israel has announced it will introduce a carbon tax from 2023, with the tax initially applying to just coal, liquified petroleum gas, fuel oil, petcoke and gas.
China and India miss UN deadline to update targets
2 Aug 2021
China and India, among the world's worst offenders for emissions, have failed to submit updated target proposals to curb the release of carbon dioxide.
Climate change threatens pomegranates in their land of origin
28 Jul 2021
Climate change is threatening to end Afghanistan's 'historical cradle' of world pomegranate production.
India urges rich countries to slash per capita emissions
26 Jul 2021
India has urged the G20 countries to bring down per capita emissions to the global average by 2030 in view of the “fast-depleting available carbon space”.
Bangladesh ditches coal-fired power plant plans
2 Jul 2021
Bangladesh has cancelled plans to build 10 coal-fired power plants, a government official said on Monday, amid rising costs for the fuel and increasing calls from activists to base more of the nation's power on renewable energy.
5000 burgers a day produced at world's first cultured-meat plant
28 Jun 2021
The world’s first industrial cultured meat facility has opened in the city of Rehovot, Israel.
US cuts Cambodian aid over climate concerns
18 Jun 2021
The United States is ending a Cambodian aid programme aimed at protecting one of its biggest wildlife sanctuaries, citing worsening deforestation and harassment of those who speak out about destruction of natural resources.
Singapore launches new carbon marketplace for nature conservancy projects
17 Jun 2021
Singapore is launching a carbon trading marketplace focused on nature conservancy projects, a move that could protect at-risk tropical forests in the region while unlocking a ready source of carbon credits for businesses.
'No time to waste' warns Japan climate activist
17 Jun 2021
Kimiko Hirata has spent nearly half her life fighting to wean Japan off its dependence on coal, and now isn't the time to slow down, the award-winning activist warns.
Switzerland to offset in Thailand
16 Jun 2021
Switzerland has agreed in principle to offset part of its carbon emissions reduction target by supporting green projects in Thailand.
Kyrgyzstan aims to increase meat production and cut emissions
15 Jun 2021
Kyrgyzstan has plans to increase meat production by 4 per cent while cutting GHG emissions by 17 per cent.
Traditional Indian housing well suited to climate change
14 Jun 2021
Traditional Indian housing is more suitable to climate change than its modern replacements, a new study has found.
Climate change could cost India 10% of GDP by century's end
10 Jun 2021
India may lose anywhere around 3 to 10 per cent of its GDP annually by 2100 and its poverty rate may rise by 3.5 per cent in 2040 due to climate change, according to a new report.
Carbon tax planned for Indonesia
9 Jun 2021
The Indonesian government is working on amending the country's tax law, which will include a new carbon tax scheme aimed at increasing state revenue from several industries.
Climate change contributes to food wastage
3 Jun 2021
Climate Change is contributing to the five to six per cent of food wasted in New Zealand and Australia and the 20 to 21 per cent wasted in central and southern Asia, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation.
Melting Himalayas point to problems worldwide
3 Jun 2021
In April, mountaineers began tackling Everest for the first time since the pandemic began, but climate change in the Himalayas and other mountain ranges around the globe is making climbing more dangerous.
Seoul climate summit kicks off with call for cleaner planet
31 May 2021
A virtual climate summit got underway in South Korea on Sunday with pledges to play a bigger role in the drive towards a greener global economy.
Singapore to launch global carbon exchange
24 May 2021
A new Singapore-based global exchange for high-quality carbon credits will be launched by the end of the year.
Indonesian president slammed for ‘wait-and-see’ approach on climate
21 May 2021
Experts have criticized Indonesian President Joko Widodo for not announcing a more ambitious climate target at last month’s leaders’ summit.
Asia’s cities are worst hit in warming world
18 May 2021
Climate change, water shortage and pollution are worst for Asia’s cities, researchers say. The rest of us have a lucky escape.
Funeral smoke adds to South Asia’s woes
11 May 2021
With the sub-continent battling a vicious Covid onslaught, the worst fires in years are adding to South Asia’s woes.
Shareholders chide Toyota president over climate comments
11 May 2021
Some Toyota Motor shareholders have criticized its President Akio Toyoda for questioning Japan's plans to ban conventional cars only days after the firm said it was reviewing its climate lobbying and aimed for carbon neutrality by 205
NGOs call on Asian Development Bank to end fossil-fuel loans
3 May 2021
A group of non-governmental organisations called on the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday to end loans to the fossil-fuels sector, as the international lender holds its annual meeting this week with a focus on a green economic recovery.
Japan's visionary climate target
3 May 2021
Japan has just raised its target for reducing carbon emissions from 26 percent to 46 percent (by 2030 from 2013 levels). But how was this figure arrived at, environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi was asked? Through a careful analysis of the threat and a realistic assessment of what could be achieved, taking all relevant factors into consideration? Well, er no, according to Koizumi, the number 46 just appeared to him in ‘silhouette’ in a sort of vision.
Monsoon changes set to cause havoc
20 Apr 2021
As the world warms, monsoon changes are set to cause havoc across a huge and densely populated swathe of the planet. The great South Asian summer monsoon will become both stronger and less reliable.
Indian government country's biggest investor in coal-fired generators
19 Apr 2021
Government support and public money investment into coal is the only factor keeping India away from shrinking its coal capacity. The latest data shows that private sector has taken a step back and almost all coal-fired power plants which are under construction belong to the public sector.
Asia pushes ahead on carbon markets
16 Apr 2021
Despite the economic challenges posed by Covid-19, the past year was marked by a growing number of pledges from Asian countries to reach carbon neutrality.
Australian opposition poised for protracted brawl over climate targets
Today 10:45am
The financial cost to reach net zero by 2050 may shape the Coalition’s decision on whether to retain or abandon the target, the new shadow minister, Dan Tehan, says, as he prepares to lead a heavily contested internal review of the policy.
EPA to propose rolling back climate rule for power plants Wednesday
Thu 12 Jun 2025
It marks an escalation in President Donald Trump’s effort to purge climate initiatives from the federal government.
China's approvals of coal power plants grow after 2024 decline
Wed 11 Jun 2025
China approved 11.29 gigawatts of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024.
Why the EU is about to cripple its next climate target
Today 10:45am
The European Commission is about to release a controversial new climate milestone, setting the bloc’s economic course for the next 15 years. Most EU governments, however, would prefer Brussels drop the issue.
Oil giant funds computer game that promotes fossil fuels to schoolchildren
9 Jun 2025
Equinor, the company looking to develop the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea, has funded a computer game aimed at UK school children, promoting the idea that fossil fuels are part of a green energy mix.
'This is classic climate change': Canada's Saskatchewan faces worst wildfire season in decades
4 Jun 2025
There have been 207 wildfires this year as of Friday – 40 more than in the same period last year.
Vanuatu criticises Australia for extending gas project while making COP31 bid
4 Jun 2025
Vanuatu’s climate minister has expressed disappointment over Australia’s decision to extend one of the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas projects and said it raises questions over its bid to co-host the COP31 summit with Pacific nations.
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?
Death toll from Nigeria flash floods rises to 151
3 Jun 2025
At least 151 people in central Nigeria are now known to have died following flash floods that destroyed homes and displaced thousands of residents earlier this week.
Pará’s Amazon forest carbon deal in doubt as prosecutors move to block it
Fri 13 Jun 2025
The Brazilian state’s contract with foreign governments and companies has run into trouble over concerns it was premature and agreed without consulting Indigenous communities.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
Fri 13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
