International: Asia
Toxic smog forces Bangkok to close schools
4 Feb 2019
Toxic smog has forced Bangkok authorities to issue an unprecedented order to shut nearly 450 schools as authorities struggled to manage a pollution crisis that has stirred widespread concern.
Bali will bill tourists for plastic pollution
1 Feb 2019
Bali has announced plans to implement a tourist tax which targets plastic pollution.
Vietnam milk boom leads to billions of cartons on beaches
12 Dec 2018
More than eight billion Tetra Paks are sold every year in Vietnam – and only a few percent are recycled. It’s having a devastating effect on the environment.
Asia's media ignores air pollution shocker
4 Dec 2018
It's a public health crisis that kills almost five million people in Asia every year. So why isn’t air pollution a bigger story?
Everest's glaciers sensitive to climate change
29 Nov 2018
It's not only glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica that are feeling the effects of a changing climate.
Gas demand spurs race to build tankers
28 Nov 2018
Busy shipyards along the coasts of South Korea, China and Japan are competing for lucrative contracts to build liquefied natural gas carriers.
Sweet taste of chocolate has turned sour for orangutans
15 Nov 2018
Cadbury chocolate maker Mondelçz International has destroyed more than 25,000 hectares of orangutan habitat in Indonesia, says a new report from Greenpeace.
ANGKOR'S END: Did floods speed the end of ancient city?
19 Oct 2018
A series of floods that hit the ancient city of Angkor would have overwhelmed and destroyed its vast water network, according to a new study that provides an explanation for the downfall of the world’s biggest pre-industrial city.
Palm oil giant vows to cut deforestation
9 Oct 2018
The world’s largest palm oil company has unveiled a plan to cut deforestation and labour abuses out of its supply chain within two years.
Pay more for your clothes, workers tell fashion brands
19 Sep 2018
Garment workers in Bangladesh have rejected an increase in the minimum wage, urging global brands to pay more for the clothes they buy.
Soggy Bangkok struggles to stay afloat
6 Sep 2018
As Bangkok hosts climate-change talks, the sprawling city of more than 10 million is itself under siege from the environment, with dire forecasts warning it could be partially submerged in just over a decade.
Overloaded Thailand bans import of e-waste
23 Aug 2018
Thailand, struggling to deal with overflowing waste deposits following China’s trash ban last year, will bar the import of 432 types of scrap electronics.
A river restored breathes new life into Kuala Lumpur
14 Aug 2018
Ridiculed at first, the project to clean up Kual Lumpur's Klang river is on track to be completed on time and below budget.
Unhappy with fish poachers? Blow them out of the water
10 Aug 2018
Indonesia is taking an explosive approach to illegal fishing ... and it's putting the industry back on a path to suistainability.
Japan eyes daylight savings time for 2020 Olympics
9 Aug 2018
Deadly heatwaves in Japan have caused government and Olympics officials to consider the benefits of adopting daylight savings time for the 2020 games to ensure athlete safety.
Philippines kills off green campaigners
1 Aug 2018
A shocking 48 killings of green campaigners were reported in the Philippines last year, which was the worst on record for activist murders globally.
Heat goes on in (already) steamy Sri Lanka
31 Jul 2018
Steamy Colombo is expected to be one of the South Asian cities hardest hit by temperature hikes linked to climate change.
Imran vows to green Pakistan by planting 10 billion trees
30 Jul 2018
Imran Khan has vowed to plant 10 billion trees in five years as prime minister of Pakistan.
Penang is drowning in its own development
30 Jul 2018
The Malaysian island of Penang is paying a heavy price for putting development above the environment.
Singapore battles addiction to plastic
20 Jul 2018
The average Singaporean uses an unconscionable 13 plastic bags a day. With its only landfill site fast filling up, what are consumers and businesses doing to defuse the nation's plastic waste timebomb?
Meet the man who paves highways with old plastic
12 Jul 2018
Chemistry professor Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan, 73, wants us to know that repurposed plastic can be good for the environment.
India’s cheap cars fixation stalls EV dream
12 Jul 2018
India’s obsession with affordable small cars could delay the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious plan to only sell electric vehicles in the country by 2030.
Life's a toxic cocktail in the land of Genghis Khan
12 Jul 2018
The lifestyle of nomads in the ancient home of Genghis Khan and his Mongol horde is under threat as never before. Climate change, combined with local environment mismanagement, government neglect and the lure of the modern world, has created a toxic cocktail.
E-waste deluge turning Thailand into world's dump
2 Jul 2018
At a deserted factory outside Bangkok, skyscrapers made from vast blocks of crushed printers, Xbox components and TVs tower over black rivers of smashed-up computer screens.
Palm oil alternatives could be worse, experts warn
29 Jun 2018
The deforestation caused by palm oil is decimating species such as orangutans and tigers - but the alternatives could be worse, says a new report.
Use plastics in Mumbai and you could go to jail
27 Jun 2018
Mumbai has the become the largest Indian city to ban single-use plastics, with residents caught using bags, cups or bottles facing penalties of up to $NZ530 and three months in jail.
Newest development bank invests in coal
22 Jun 2018
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is backing a coal-fired cement works in Myanmar through an intermediary, in a worrying sign for its climate credentials.
Pollution-recording gear can't cope with off-the-dial Delhi
19 Jun 2018
Smog more toxic than can be measured by monitoring devices blanketing New Delhi, months before the start of the city's traditional pollution season.
India approves massive solar farm
7 Jun 2018
The Indian Government has given planning permission for a huge new solar project which is set to become one of the largest in the world.
Coal's all the rage in Indonesia
1 Jun 2018
Indonesia’s coal industry is enjoying a resurgence, driven both by rising demand from China and a push by Jakarta to build more coal-fired power plants.
Asia-Pacific dragging the chain, says UN
31 May 2018
The Asia-Pacific region is falling behind on climate action and conservation, according to the United Nations.
TEA TROUBLE: Weather changes could put Darjeeling in danger
29 May 2018
Gradual change in temperature and rainfall patterns in India's Darjeeling hills is beginning to affect production of one of the country's most famous teas.
Indian police kill 11 pollution protesters
25 May 2018
At least 11 people were killed and 80 wounded when police fired at protesters calling for the closure of a copper smelter in southern India.
India eyes hybrid solar-wind power plants
18 May 2018
India has released a draft policy for setting up hybrid wind-solar plants where both windmills and panels are put up on the same piece of land.
The true cost of making cities from the sea
4 May 2018
Asia is growing. Literally. From Malaysia to Dubai, luxury developments are rising on artificial islands and coastlines.
Dear sir, I'd like to order some e-vehicles ... 10,000 would do
20 Apr 2018
Indian ride-hailing firm Ola will add 10,000 electric three-wheelers to its fleet over the next 12 months.
Japan has a renewable energy puzzle
20 Apr 2018
As Japan rushes to cut carbon emissions by 26 per cent, campaigners worry that forests and wildlife are being trampled.
'The Beach' off limits as Thais count cost of climate change
5 Apr 2018
Maya Bay, made famous in the film “The Beach”, will be off limits to tourists for part of the year as Thailand seeks to protect eco-systems crumbling from warming seas and unchecked sprawl.
Tokyo admits rainforest timber used for stadium
1 Mar 2018
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee has confirmed that 87 per cent of the plywood panels used to build its new national stadium come from southeast Asian rainforests.
Singapore will charge carbon tax from next year
21 Feb 2018
Singapore will charge carbon polluters a new carbon tax from 2019.
Korea real cool, but the games are getting warmer
13 Feb 2018
PyeongChang turned on typical freezing South Korea weather for the first few days of the Winter Olympics … but overall the event is getting warmer.
Indonesia has bold plan to rewet the swamps
2 Feb 2018
A controversial Indonesian project to restore 2.5 million hectares of tropical peatland hinges on sustainable farming.
Local people tackle tide of beach plastic
30 Jan 2018
Local volunteers have collected more than 12,000 tonnes of plastic from a beach in Mumbai.
Climate change drives farmers from Mekong delta
24 Jan 2018
Saltwater intrusion and drought are destroying crops in one of the most fertile places on earth, prompting an exodus of farmers.
Thailand gets $1.1 billion for wind power project
15 Dec 2017
Southeast Asia’s leading solar energy nation -Thailand - could be the frontrunner in wind energy after renewables developer WEH secured funding for the region’s biggest wind power project.
Hyundai building battery bigger than Tesla's
8 Dec 2017
Tesla’s South Australia battery system won’t hold the title of world’s largest for long - Hyundai is building one 50 per cent bigger.
India to add 10,000 e-vehicles to official fleet
24 Nov 2017
India has called tenders for 10,000 electric vehicles as replacements for its official fleet.
Indonesia to roll out 1000 eco-mosques
21 Nov 2017
Worshippers in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, are set to go green with a new initiative that aims to establish 1000 eco-mosques by 2020.
CHOPPER STOPPER: Too much smog for the smog-fighters
16 Nov 2017
An ambitious plan to use helicopters to fight Delhi’s air pollution has been grounded because the aircraft cannot operate in the thick smog.
LEAPING LIZARDS: Giants thrive in wasted oil palm plantations
26 Oct 2017
Of Borneo’s large native scavengers, a giant lizard is the only species that has successfully adapted to the land devastated by oil palm plantations.
Australian Nationals formally abandon commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050
Mon 3 Nov 2025
Nationals leader David Littleproud said the party would shift its focus to climate adaptation instead of being "focused solely" on reducing emissions, noting Australia's small share of the global effort.
Exxon funded thinktanks to spread climate denial in Latin America, documents reveal
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Texas-based fossil fuel company financed Atlas Network in attempt to derail UN-led climate treaty process.
Why climate change now threatens China’s future
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Extreme weather is hurting its economy and worrying its leaders.
Norway faces European Court climate ruling over oil licences
29 Oct 2025
The European Court of Human Rights will decide on Tuesday if Norway breached its climate obligations when it awarded Arctic oil exploration licenses in 2016.
Bank of England must better address climate risk to tackle inflation
Tue 4 Nov 2025
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
Renewables are a global economic engine, not a culture war threat
2 Oct 2025
Energy companies are learning this lesson faster than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
21 Oct 2025
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
13 Oct 2025
Planet-heating methane is escaping from cracks in the Antarctic seabed as the region warms, with new seeps being discovered at an “astonishing rate".
Nigerian billionaire plans expansion of Africa’s biggest oil refinery
Fri 31 Oct 2025
The billionaire owner of Africa’s largest refinery plans to expand its capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day to meet growing fuel needs in the continent and beyond.
Police raids in Brazil’s Rio kill 64 ahead of events related to COP30 climate summit
Thu 30 Oct 2025
At least 64 people died on Oct 28 in Rio de Janeiro’s most deadly police operation ever, which targeted a major gang days before the city hosts global events related to the United Nations climate summit known as COP30.
Brazil opens three weeks of COP30-linked climate events
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Brazil on Monday opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming
