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Published on 7 August 2019 Global
As scientists learn more about the importance of animals to nature’s carbon-sequestering capabilities, they’ve come to understand that extinctions and extirpations are climate issues. Two new studies add powerful detail to that insight. The first, led by ecologist Fabio Berzaghi of Italy’s University of Tuscia and published in Nature Geoscience, drew on 17 years of data on vegetation structure and species competition in northern Congo. With elephants…
Published on 7 August 2019
Vegan ice cream is a hot commodity these days. But violent storms that have devastated farms in Southeast Asia are threatening to take away one of its best ingredients -- coconuts. Much of the world’s supply comes from the region, which is grappling with an increase in storms’ frequency and intensity because of warming seas. Coconuts’ natural creaminess is seen by some as the best way…
Published on 7 August 2019 Feature
Our current socio-economic system is built on the exploitation of both people and the planet, causing inequality and environmental devastation. To save a world on the brink of ecological and social disaster calls for greener, more efficient capitalism won’t cut it, writes Zafirah Zein. Several weeks ago, I attended the Shape the World Summit 2019, where leaders from business, education, civil society and delegates from around…
Published on 7 August 2019 Philippines
The following link will take you to INQUIRER.net: https://business.inquirer.net/276257/recycled-plastic-play-areas-unveiled
Published on 1 August 2019 Thailand
Thailand’s Prime Minister has confirmed the government’s move to solve the drought situation by coordinating with neighboring countries to have them release more water from upstream reservoirs. Prime Minister General Prayut Cha-O-Cha said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has talked to China, the Lao PDR, and Myanmar about releasing more water from the reservoirs in their countries to ease the drought situation in Thailand.…
Published on 1 August 2019
Compared to other tropical countries, Indonesia has made strong progress in reducing deforestation in recent years. The Indonesian government released its official deforestation numbers in May 2018, showing that the rate of forest loss has been declining from 2015 to 2018. The data reported deforestation of 440,000 hectares in 2018, slightly lower than the 2017 number of 480,000 hectares. Global Forest Watch released similar numbers showing a 40 percent decrease…
Published on 1 August 2019
Floating plastic garbage has swamped a remote Pacific island once regarded as an environmental jewel and scientists say little can be done to save it while a throwaway culture persists. Henderson Island is an uninhabited coral atoll that lies almost exactly halfway between New Zealand and Peru, with 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) of the ocean in either direction. Despite its extreme isolation, a freak confluence…
Published on 1 August 2019 by Leah Asmelash and Brian Ries
If Earth's resources were a bank account, today would mark the date we'd officially be in the red. As of July 29, humanity has officially used up more ecological resources this year than the Earth can regenerate by the end of the year. The occasion even has a name: Earth Overshoot Day. The Global Footprint Network, a sustainability organization which calculates the day, says humanity…
Published on 25 July 2019
The heads of governments of the 10 Asean member-states have agreed to promote cooperation and partnerships within the region and with external partners in order to achieve sustainability, conservation, peace, economic growth and other dimensions of Asean Community-building. The agreement was expressed in the Asean leaders’ vision statement on partnership for sustainability, which was adopted during the recent 34th Asean Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand.…
Published on 25 July 2019 Global
A new study from the World Bank and UN finds we’ll need ways to boost yields faster than ever before to prevent agricultural emissions from soaring. With the global population projected to increase by nearly 3 billion people by midcentury, demand for food—as well as the land and energy required to produce it—is to set to soar. If the world doesn’t figure out ways to…
Published on 25 July 2019
It was the paintbrush that held Chea Chunglong in awe while everybody else was transfixed with the blackboard during classes. Starting from an early age, Mr Chunglong, who now turns 17, was sure that his perseverance to become an accomplished artist would pay off though he never thought he would become an emerging painter at this early stage of his career on canvas. But with encouragement…
Published on 25 July 2019
With the specter of global warming looming above our heads, educating the next generation to be eco-friendly is more important than ever. Prof Anthony Wong is making it his mission to do just that with a green thumb and a love for Mother Nature as his main tools. Frangipani Organic Farm, located in the leafy forests of Gombak, is a project pioneered by the 63-year-old…
Published on 22 July 2019
Cardinal Charles Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon, joined Catholic social workers and young people on July 6 to plant trees in a government-reserved forest area on the outskirts of Myanmar’s commercial city. More than 200 Catholic Church workers and young people joined in a tree-planting event last week in Myanmar, in a show of responsibility for protecting the environment in the spirit of the Pope…
Published on 22 July 2019
Survey in Sabah highlights importance of wildlife corridors and commitments to sustainable palm oil and timber. The number of critically-endangered orangutans living in the eastern lowlands of Malaysia's Sabah state declined by as much as 30 percent between 2002 and 2017, even as the overall population across the state remained relatively stable, according to a scientific study published on Thursday. The paper, the most intensive survey…
Published on 22 July 2019
Indonesia’s president has reportedly signaled a major shift in energy policy, saying he wants to “start reducing the use of coal.” Such a policy would run counter to the administration’s previously stated long-term plans of fueling the country’s growing energy demand with coal, with 39 coal-fired plants under construction and 68 more announced. Indonesia is one of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, and…
Published on 22 July 2019
In central Myanmar, many villages and their inhabitants are in danger. Climate change is causing both excessive rainfall and prolonged drought, and the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar’s lifeline, is increasingly bursting its banks. With disastrous consequences. The villagers are seated in a large circle around large sheets full of scribbles and post-it notes. Women in colorful robes raise their hands and call out their concerns, while…
Published on 22 July 2019
Asian Development Bank says ASEAN needs to "reorient spending" to more sustainable projects, as extreme weather poses threat to region’s development. Over the next five years, ASEAN will need US$157 billion in annual infrastructure investment, but projects need to be “climate-proofed” to mitigate the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Due to Southeast Asia’s geographical diversity…
Published on 22 July 2019 Philippines
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior and Local Government will team up to provide water for irrigation as well as for drinking to far-flung barangays. MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be signing a memorandum of agreement to launch a solar-powered water supply program for off-grid barangays. In…
Published on 19 July 2019
Lay Sremeth and her family have lived on a narrow stretch of land by Phnom Penh’s Boeung Tompoun lake for three decades, fishing in its water and growing rice on its bank. But shortly after authorities approved filling in parts of the lake with sand and mud 10 years ago to build malls and apartments, they could not fish or farm anymore. Now, with just…
Published on 19 July 2019
Read the article here: https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2019/07/11/lowering-voting-age-a-first-step-for-climate-action/
