Harvested News

KUALA LUMPUR: Digital technology will play a critical role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), although innovation will most likely affect progress in both positive and negative ways, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He said the deployment of new technologies is seen to be essential in achieving the SDGs, considering the need for accelerated progress to fulfill the goals by…

Young environmental activist Greta Thunberg's famous quote "listen to the scientists", during her meeting with the US Congress is a clarion call for policy-makers to take steps to save the planet. The scientific consensus on the climate crisis and the need to take immediate action is clear. New reports are being released regularly. Yet the problems of climate change are not only problems of science and technology. They are also moral, ethical…

We only have a decade to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. That's the warning the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) put out last year. But so far, nations are not slashing emissions enough to keep Earth's temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — the threshold established in the Paris climate agreement.  "What we know is that…

Up to 152 km of rural roads will be upgraded at a cost of US$51.2 million (RM212 million) by the Asia Development Bank (ADB) in Myanmar. The all-weather and climate-resilient roads will be built to benefit communities of some 150 villages in the Ayeyarwady and Magwe regions, according to The Myanmar Times. In a statement by the financial institution that is dedicated to reducing poverty…

The consequences of climate change are getting worse as each day passes. From shrinking ice caps to drawn-out drought seasons, it seems that every country across the globe has experienced some sort of impact from the drastic changes in weather patterns. And one of climate change’s victims, Southeast Asia’s trans-boundary river, the Mekong River is in danger. In full: https://sea.mashable.com/science/6570/climate-change-is-causing-dire-consequences-for-the-greater-mekong-region

Read article here: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/climate-change-matters-myanmar.html

Forest fires raging across Indonesia have sent air quality levels across Southeast Asia plummeting as they belch out emissions that aggravate global warming. The country's palm oil industry bears much of the blame for the out-of-control blazes critics say, as producers burn land to make way for their plantations. The pulp-and-paper sector has also come in for criticism over the issue, as have small-scale farmers who use…

Its score for environmental quality fell 16 points over a year. Singapore can do more to improve its environmental quality in its efforts to tackle climate change, according to the 2019 Social Progress Index. This year, the Lion City ranked 27th out of 149 countries, the highest in Southeast Asia. Last year, in its first year on the index, the country placed 23rd out of…

Dozens of promises were made by governments, civil society, and business. Accountability is the next step Too often countries and companies make climate commitments that grab the media and political spotlight, only for governments or priorities to silently change. Last week, UN chief António Guterres gathered the world’s political, business and civil society leaders in New York in an effort to jump-start action on climate…

These images of youth climate activists on strike around the world are simply inspiring. This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. Friday may be remembered as the largest global demonstration ever in the fight against climate change. Inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, young people around the world have…

Young people recount how they protested, in the face of poverty, conflict and toxic air pollution, for action on climate change. Last month, young people around the world poured onto the streets in frustration at politicians dragging their feet on climate change. Protests took place in every continent, and organizers estimated that four million turned out in thousands of cities and towns worldwide. This is…

Rafts of garbage, assembled by currents that swirl trash together, clog our oceans. But how did that material wind up adrift in the first place? A new study takes a look at the refuse that washes up on a remote island in the South Atlantic and arrives at a perhaps-unexpected answer: The trash is being dumped from ships. The findings, published Monday in the Proceedings of the…

Hot and dry. These are the watchwords for large fires. While every fire needs a spark to ignite and fuel to burn, the hot and dry conditions in the atmosphere determine the likelihood of a fire starting, its intensity and the speed at which it spreads. Over the past several decades, as the world has increasingly warmed, so has its potential to burn. Since 1880,…

Covering Climate Now: Alex Casey watches 2040, a climate change documentary determined to let the light in.  I’ve seen enough documentaries about climate change to know what I don’t want to see anymore. I don’t want Leonardo DiCaprio stroking his goatee on a sheet of ice and saying “folks: it’s bad”. I don’t want Al Gore, pacing back and forth on stage in 2006 and again in…

Environment always becomes my first concern. Plastic wastes and deforestations are the major issues that I have involved with. The story behind the business concept occurred when I was running a small construction project to build a room in the apartment which I needed to buy plywood to build that room. At that time, I realized that the plywood is totally made from woodchips. I…

Vietnam Renewable Energy Week 2019 was launched on September 17, in Hanoi, as an activity to respond to contribute to the implementation of Government policies on renewable energy development in Vietnam. The event, running until September 20, was jointly organized by the Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance (VSEA), Vietnam Climate Action Alliance (VCCA) and the Working Group on Climate Change (CCWG). This year's event aims to…

From sinking islands to drought-ridden savannas, women bear an outsize burden of the global—warming crisis, largely because of gender inequalities. In many parts of the world, women hold traditional roles as the primary caregivers in families and communities, and, as the main providers of food and fuel, are more vulnerable when flooding and drought occur; the U.N. estimates 80% of those who have been displaced…