Asia

Indonesia forest fires cost $5.2 billion

Friday - The total damage and economic loss from forest fires in Indonesia this year amounts to at least $5.2 billion, says the World Bank.

Big Energy boosts coal in Philippines

28 Nov 19 - Coal expansion by the Philippines’ biggest energy companies could lead to the fossil fuel’s share of the energy mix growing from 52 per cent today to a whopping 75 per cent by 2025.

Vietnam has a remarkable wind-energy story

21 Nov 19 - Vietnam is rising as Southeast Asia’s new wind hero, with power capacity soon to dwarf that of all other Asean nations.

Myanmar hands over forests to oil palm producers

15 Nov 19 - Myanmar has handed out more than 400,000 hectares of oil palm concessions to 44 companies, some of the land overlapping with proposed national parks.

Coal is still king in Southeast Asia

10 Oct 19 - Not only will coal continue to be the dominant fuel source in power generation in Southeast Asia, its use will grow and peak in 2027 before slowing, according to a new study.

Can indonesia avoid a capital distaster?

6 Sep 19 - Indonesia will build a new capital city from scratch in a jungle-covered area with little to no infrastructure and it could be an environmental disaster.

Most Southeast Asia banks ignore climate crisis

27 Aug 19 - Most Southeast Asian banks are indifferent to climate change in their lending operations, a new report has found.

IKEA IDEA: Inspired firm aims to electrify a million boats

27 Aug 19 - A Singapore startup on a mission to replace a million polluting diesel-powered boats in Southeast Asia has been inspired by Ikea.

Singapore expects to pay $72b for climate peace of mind

21 Aug 19 - low-lying Singapore could spend $US72 billion or more over the next 50 to 100 years to adapt to climate change and rising sea levels, according to its prime minister.

Plastic, poverty and paradox ... the sad story of a great river

15 Aug 19 - India’s most sacred river is also its most polluted, with plastic a major culprit. Now moves are afoot to monitor the flow of rubbish and assess its link to poverty.

Southeast Asia drowning in electronic waste

7 Aug 19 - As awareness of the toxic fall-out of Southeast Asia's e-waste crisis grows, what's being done to defuse an environmental timebomb in the making?

At the garbage cafe, pay for your curry with plastic waste

31 Jul 19 - No money … no problem. Bring plastic waste and get a free curry at India's first “garbage café”.

Car craze brings gridlock and grumpiness to beaming Bhutan

26 Jul 19 - Booming car sales in Bhutan, famed for valuing Gross National Happiness over economic growth, are testing the good humour of the citizens.

Melting ice will hurt Southeast Asia

24 Jul 19 - Southeast Asia will be hardest hit by rising sea levels caused by melting and collapsing ice sheets.

Corruption and coal rule in Indonesia

16 Jul 19 - Prosecutors have indicted the head of a Indonesia's national power firm and other officials, raising hopes of a dirty energy clean-up.

Residents sue government over ‘world’s filthiest’ air

12 Jul 19 - A group of citizens is suing the Indonesian government, including the president, over the poor air quality in Jakarta, which in recent weeks has ranked as the worst in the world.

Leftover spy satellites reveal Himalayas melt

21 Jun 19 - US spy satellites that secretly kept watch over the Himalayas during the Cold War are helping researchers piece together the most detailed view yet of the region's accelerating ice loss.

Coal-dependent Japan sets neutral goal

14 Jun 19 - Heavy on tech, light on any plans to tackle its coal dependency, Japan has released its climate legislation.

Students must plant 10 trees to graduate

4 Jun 19 - The PhilippineS Senate has passed a law requiring all students to plant 10 trees in order to graduate.