Asia

Vietnam milk boom leads to billions of cartons on beaches

12 Dec 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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...

Overloaded Thailand bans import of e-waste

23 Aug 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - 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 18 - The Malaysian island of Penang is paying a heavy price for putting development above the environment.

Singapore battles addiction to plastic

20 Jul 18 - 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...

Meet the man who paves highways with old plastic

12 Jul 18 - Chemistry professor Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan, 73, wants us to know that repurposed plastic can be good for the environment.