Urban areas have seen significant progress, with 91 percent of cities having access to an improved water supply and 73 percent having access to improved sanitation facilities.

Read more: Timor-Leste’s water sector can guide future investments, says a new report

One of the delights of the tropics is the delicious cool air in the evening. As the sun goes down, people move gratefully to their gardens or balconies, or flock to parks to enjoy the remains of the day—but not in Singapore. The city is too hot, especially in the evening, with temperatures that often remain in the high 20’s or low 30’s Celsius (82° – 86°F) throughout the night. This is not just, because Singapore has a tropical climate, but because the city has grown warmer in recent years due to the “Urban Heat Island” effect (UHI).

Read more: Cooling Singapore

MANILA, Philippines – The summer heat finally arrives in Manila and Filipinos are scouring malls for cooler alternatives and ice-cold treats. SM Aura Premier, however, takes the opportunity to bring to light a crisis affecting a species that badly needs its icy home back—the polar bears.

Read more: SM Aura Premier creates awareness on climate change this summer with polar bear exhibit

An international ocean conservation group has called for the formulation of science-based policy for the protection of the Philippine Rise as a precautionary approach to ensure sustainable use of the resources in the region, before any human activity can even be considered in the area.

According to Oceana Philippines vice president Gloria Ramos, the signing of a presidential proclamation declaring 17,000 hectares of the Philippine Rise as marine protected area and another 300,000 hectares as fisheries management area “paves the way for the conservation, management, and protection of corals, fisheries, and the rich biodiversity.”

Read more: Climate change, overfishing pose threats to Philippine Rise

by Wilson John Barbon (IIRR) and Eisen Bernardo (CCAFS Southeast Asia)

The establishment of Climate-Smart and Nutrition-Smart Villages in Myanmar is a major step in addressing food security and nutrition challenges.

In Myanmar, the adverse impacts of climate change are observed especially in the agriculture sector, due to increasing incidence of drought, more intense rains resulting in flooding, stronger cyclones, and salinization of farms. As an agricultural country with many smallholder farmers, the country’s food security, nutrition, and livelihoods are greatly affected by the threats of climate change.

Read more: Climate-Smart Villages launch in Myanmar

Hospitals in Asia must become climate-smart in an era of extreme weather patterns, or risk being unable to fulfill their missions of providing healthcare when they are most needed, say experts. 

When Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the island of Leyte in the Philippines in 2013, it destroyed the local power grid and left 300 towns and millions of residents without electricity for months, including small hospitals and health facilities. 

Read more: Why hospitals in Asia need to be ‘climate-smart’

Since 1978, one million hectares of mangroves have been cut down in Myanmar. In the Ayerwaddy Delta in the south, mangrove forests have been significantly depleted - often cut down to make way for shrimp and rice farming, as well as charcoal production and collecting palm oil.

Read more: Cyclone shield: Breathing new life into Myanmar's mangroves

Vice President U Henry Van Thio is a possessed man, running here and there, to check on the preparations of local governments in response to the perennial threats of the monsoon, which is just around the corner.

Read more: Disaster-prone Myanmar presses alert button as monsoon looms

Favorable weather conditions and improved yields have helped drive a return to growth in Myanmar’s agricultural sector, a trend likely to be supported by government efforts to embrace modern farming methods to ensure long-term sustainable development.

The agriculture sector grew by 3.5% in FY 2017/18, which ended on March 31, rebounding from a drought-induced contraction recorded in FY 2016/17, according to the Asian Development Outlook 2018 report, released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in early April.

Read more: Myanmar Agriculture Rebounds From A Drought-Induced Contraction

NASA’s new administrator, a former lawmaker nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the US space agency, admitted on Wednesday he has changed his mind about climate change and now believes that humans are the main driver of greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more: NASA’s new chief changes mind, now accepts climate change