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Harvested News

Published on 1 August 2019 by Leah Asmelash and Brian Ries Global
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 Southeast Asia
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 Malaysia
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 Myanmar
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 Malaysia
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
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 Myanmar
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 Southeast Asia
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 Malaysia
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 Malaysia
Read the article here: https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2019/07/11/lowering-voting-age-a-first-step-for-climate-action/
Published on 19 July 2019 Thailand
Parts of Thailand are facing their worst drought in 50 years. Farmers in some parts of the north and northeast say that the situation is the “worst in living memory”, as reported in Sanook. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department says Thailand will experience the worst drought in at least a decade, with average precipitation across large regions of the country falling far short of the monthly averages.…
Published on 19 July 2019 Philippines
The country’s transition towards a green economy is getting a much-needed boost with the significant financial resources from the private sector in “green” projects.   At the recent 2019 Asia-Pacific High-Level Forum on Green Economy in Bangkok, Thailand, Undersecretary Ferdinand Pecson, executive director of the Public-Private Partnership Center (PPP Center), shared to forum participants how the Philippines attracts “green” investments.    The PPP is a…
Published on 19 July 2019 Philippines
Local communities are essential to managing risks and building resilience in the era of climate change, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). In a statement delivered at the Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2019: A High-Level Roundtable Discussion in New York, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said the community-driven disaster-risk reduction is the country’s “best hope” when disasters strike. “Let me emphasize that…
Published on 17 July 2019 Feature
“We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that … we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:22-23). Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: In 1988, we issued a groundbreaking Pastoral Letter on Ecology entitled, “What is Happening to Our Beautiful Land?”  In its opening paragraph, we noted, “Our small…
Published on 5 July 2019 Philippines
Mugs made of bamboo, bowls from coconut shells, and plates from banana leaves. These are the new utensils being used at the canteen of Bulata National High School (BNHS) in Cauayan, Negros Occidental as the school promotes a plastic-free culture in providing meals and snacks for its more than 400 students and teachers. The concept is inspired by the “Wala Usik” Sari-Sari Store, an initiative…
Published on 4 July 2019 Singapore
Global sea levels are expected to rise by at least half a meter by the year 2100 due to climate change. The projected rise can affect important environmental factors such as habitat suitability and availability of light, threatening the health and survival of marine ecosystems. For the corals dwelling in the sedimented, turbid waters around Singapore, rising sea levels can imperil species, as those living…
Published on 4 July 2019 Indonesia
Over the past half-century, the rainforests of Borneo have been logged, strip-mined, burned, and converted for monoculture plantations. The forests that local people primarily relied upon for sustenance are now felled to feed commodities into the global market. But the Dayak Iban of Sungai Utik community in Indonesian Borneo has managed to fend off loggers and land invaders from their forest home. Sungai Utik’s efforts…
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