International: Asia
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.
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.
Australia, China discuss regional energy security, Albanese says
Thu 9 Apr 2026
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he discussed regional energy security with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang by phone on Tuesday, as China's fuel export ban exacerbates energy disruptions linked to the Iran war.
US EPA head gives keynote address at climate sceptic conference
Fri 10 Apr 2026
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin gave the keynote speech Wednesday at a conference hosted by a climate denial group.
China's Xi urges faster development of new energy system as Middle East war continues
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for accelerated planning and construction of a new energy system to safeguard the country's energy security, weeks into the Iran war that has triggered global energy shocks.
France's emissions cuts slow again in 2025, throwing climate targets off track
Fri 10 Apr 2026
While France's overall emissions are still in decline, the rate of their decline had slowed for the second year in a row, throwing the country off course to meet its 2030 climate goals.
Britain hits renewable power record in 2025, but fossil fuel use also up
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Renewable power such as wind and solar provided a record 52.5% of Britain’s electricity generation in 2025, government data showed on Thursday, but fossil fuel use also rose.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
Vanuatu Indigenous leaders raise concerns over plans to build resort for cruise tourists
1 Apr 2026
Indigenous community leaders in Vanuatu have raised concerns over plans by the cruise operator Royal Caribbean to build a private beach club on the island of Lelepa, arguing environmental impact assessments by the company are “incomplete” and “misleading”.
China's huge push to reduce air pollution had an unexpected consequence in the Arctic
2 Apr 2026
China's cuts to aerosol emissions reduced sea ice loss, but it may have revealed a bigger story about climate change.
Rationing power and diluting petrol – how African countries are coping with effects of Iran war
30 Mar 2026
Countries across Africa have taken measures such as diluting petrol and restricting electricity consumption to cope with the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran.
Beef production drives 40% of agriculture-linked forest destruction, Brazil leads
26 Mar 2026
Beef production is the leading driver of agriculture-linked deforestation, accounting for 40% of all forest clearing done to open space for food production, according to details of a study released on Tuesday.
Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says
18 Mar 2026
The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is a lesson on the risks of relying on fossil fuels which should drive governments to wean their economies off oil and gas faster, the U.N. climate secretary told Reuters on Monday.
