Harvested News

Among the masses of marine flora and fauna in the system are six of the world’s seven sea turtle species. Sea turtles are among the marine creatures most endangered due to human activity. The destruction of their breeding grounds and their vulnerability to ocean pollution has helped make sea turtles a high-profile symbol for waste reduction and conservation. Spread over six million square…

In it, the Southeast Asian country said it would reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2030, and would prioritize adaptation measures to protect citizens from impacts of climate change. “The Philippines’ INDC submission is the first step in our strong commitment to work on a meaningful climate deal in Paris,” Senator Loren Legarda said in an October 2 statement. (READ: What's happening in Paris…

But this emission reduction target is conditional on assistance from the international community. The document, representing the country’s contribution to the global effort to combat and prepare for climate change, was submitted on Thursday, October 1, Manila time, said Climate Change Commissioner and Secretary Lucille Sering. This was the last day the UN set for INDC submissions. Aside from reducing carbon emissions, the Philippines…

At the climate summit in Paris, governments will gather to decide upon a universal climate agreement that should send clear signals the world is accelerating toward a future with less pollution and much more clean energy. The agreement must also detail how countries around the world are going to regularly ramp up their efforts. Many details remain to be resolved, but the events of the…

The Facing the Climate exhibition in Vietnam is presented by the Swedish Institute, Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi, Manzi and the National Library of Vietnam. “Facing the Climate” is part of a concerted drive, conceptualized by the Swedish Institute, to promote critical sustainable development under the heading “Facing the Future – Sustainability the Swedish Way”. The initiative began in December 2009 in…

According to the document, which outlines the stakes for reaching a legally binding consensus, the talks will take place during “a decisive year to achieve an international climate agreement”. French Ambassador to Cambodia Jean-Claude Poimboeuf opened the meeting by outlining expectations for COP 21, including a universal emissions agreement and reporting system, as well as an international enforcement mechanism. Betty Thogersen, Cambodia representative for…

100 million of these reef-reliant peoples live in the Coral Triangle – singled out in the report as “richer in marine natural capital” than anywhere else on earth. Currently, fisheries exports from the Coral Triangle – which encompasses the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste – amount to around $5bn (£3.3bn), including 30% of the global tuna…

“World leaders gathering in New York this weekend will commit to achieving 17 historic SDGs by 2030 and the ADB stands ready to be an important part of global efforts to finance these goals,” Nakao said. “Nowhere is tackling climate change more critical than in Asia and the Pacific, where rising sea levels, melting glaciers and weather extremes, like floods and droughts, are damaging…

Like other countries, Cambodia is preparing its own plan to contribute to the fight against climate change, under UN protocols called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, or INDC. That includes policies to preserve natural resources and biodiversity, Sao Sopheap, a spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, said. Cambodia has seen a massive reduction to its forest cover over recent decades, losing a potential carbon sink…

The complaint, which is the first of its kind in the world, is being brought forward by typhoon survivors, advocates and non-governmental organizations, including Greenpeace Southeast Asia. The group is demanding an investigation into the top 50 investor-owned fossil fuel companies and their responsibility for climate impacts that endanger people’s lives and livelihoods, as well as that of future generations. “We demand justice. Climate…

Peter Brimble, an Asian Development Bank specialist in Myanmar, said deforestation was a factor. “You look at the floods, and clearly the deforestation, at least in the mountains or the hills or in the deforested areas, led to some exacerbated impact of the floods," he said. "It seems pretty obvious.” The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization said Myanmar faces a crisis because an average…

Here are five metropolises in climate change's crosshairs.Bangkok Thailand's capital isn't just a popular tourist destination. It's very much a working city, home to 15 per cent of Thailand's 65 million people. Stock Photo: Chao Phraya River / Bangkok, Thailand It's the center of a major, growing national economy, that nationwide includes a burgeoning manufacturing sector, and an agricultural sector that employs almost…

German photographer Kerstin Langenberger sighted the bear stranded on an ice floe, its bones visible through its wet fur, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, far north of the Arctic Circle. She posted the image to Facebook on Aug. 20, writing that the bear’s terrible condition was not an unusual sight. The photo quickly made its way from Facebook to other social and viral news media…

The island nation has so far experienced it fair share of extreme weather events, and there is no question that the island nation is, and will continue to be, a climate hotspot. However, there is still much we do not know about how climate change will affect the country – especially the future of agriculture and food production. To find out more, a collaborative…

This was how European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker set the mood during his first annual State of the Union speech. He emphasized that climate change is “one of the root causes” of the ongoing refugee crisis springing from Syria. Juncker’s statements linking climate change to Syria may have been inspired by a report from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which argued…

He made it clear that countries’ joint effort to cut down greenhouse gas emissions should be based on their specific capacity and conditions and take into account the development demand of developing nations and the historical responsibility of developed ones. An agreement expected to be reached at COP 21 must reflect the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and cover adaptation…

“While the FPI recognizes the seriousness of the climate-change issue, the Philippines only has a very small contribution to global GHG emissions based on recognized global inventories and official reports of the Philippine Climate Change Commission,” FPI Chairman Jesus Arranza said. The FPI official pointed out that energy efficiency is already one of the Department of Energy’s cornerstone projects and, is in fact, one…

Carbon pricing, including emissions trading schemes from California to China, now covers about 12 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in a sign of momentum before a U.N. summit on climate change in Paris in December, it said. The number of carbon pricing instruments, both implemented or planned, has risen to 38 from 20 since 2012, it said. South Korea began carbon trading this…