Category: Environment
Could China-Indonesia Climate Cooperation Resurrect the Pan-Asianism Dream?
"If Liong-Barongsai from China works together with Nandi Cows from India, with Sphinxes from Egypt, with Peacocks from Burma, with White Elephants from Siam, with Hydra Snakes from Vietnam, with Tigers from the Philippines and with Bulls from Indonesia, then surely the international imperialism and colonialism will ...
African and Chinese Scientists Collaborating to Stop Desertification in Vulnerable Countries
The 3rd Taklimakan Summit in Xinjiang last month saw experts from Ethiopia and Nigeria joining specialists and representatives from 14 countries for a series of training and field visit experiences on combating desertification deep in China’s largest arid zone. ...
“The Mekong is Dying”: How China’s River Diplomacy Neglects Locals, Exacerbates Climate Change
The rainy season would usually start in May, but this was late June and it was still not raining much. Niwat Roykaew, who grew up on the bank of the Mekong River in Thailand’s northern Chiang Rai province, noticed. Born and ...
Southeast Asia Inches Closer to China to Survive Harsh Heat Waves
Extreme high temperatures — a ‘once-in-200-years heat wave’ — have been hitting many Asian countries in recent weeks, including those in Southeast Asia. Experts said that it is only the beginning of an era that will see more frequent heat waves and other erratic weather.
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud on Africa’s Green Transition
This has been a week of revealing contrasts, so revealing that a screenwriter might find them a bit on the nose. Most prominent was the global attention focused on the underwater fate of a small group of rich people and the general ...
Chinese-Financed Coal Power Plants Making Life Very Difficult for Indonesia’s Coastal Communities
"It's hard to earn IDR 50,000 ($3) since the power plant is here,” said Dendi Arfani, a 26-year-old fisherman living in Teluk Sepang, a village in Indonesia's central Bengkulu Province. "It's not enough to cover our daily needs. Previously, in 2017, we could get a lot of ...
Searching for Climate Solutions In a Haze of Geopolitics
In the afternoons when I would reach for the air conditioner’s remote control, unable to go on without turning on the cooling machine, I grieve a little. I know it didn’t used to be this hot. I remember playing outside as a child at this hour. The ...
Backgrounder: China’s Global South Climate Diplomacy
China passed a notable milestone recently: for the first time, more than half of its installed electricity capacity came from renewable sources. This puts China far ahead of other global powers, despite the fact that China remains one of the world's largest markets for hydrocarbons. Beijing is increasingly using ...
What Happened in New York is a Reminder Climate Change Isn’t Just a Global South Problem
By Lukas Fiala Looking out the window of my hotel room in New York City this week, I couldn’t help but feel a certain apocalyptic reckoning. Due to raging wildfires in Canada, the city that’s home to the world’s most ...
Whatever Happened to China’s South-South Climate Cooperation Fund? The Answer is “Unclear”
During a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping committed to providing 20 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) to help developing countries tackle climate change. Notably, this commitment didn’t contain a timeline. Now, with the promise to ...
Southeast Asia’s Climate Goals Are Ultimately Economic Goals: U.S. Vows to Help, But China Delivers
Two weeks ago, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his ministers received a visit from the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (U.S.-ABC). Green industries — particularly electric vehicles — were at the top of Indonesia’s talking points. “How can Indonesia get facilities to ...
Prioritizing Socio-Ecological Protections: Study Shows Deregulation Doesn’t Attract Chinese Investment
By Christina Duran In a March 2023 synthetic report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized that Central and South America face adverse impacts from increased climate damage “without rapid, deep and sustained mitigation and accelerated adaptation action,” which ...






