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Environment

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Environment
Latest news and updates about issues impacting the global environment, including climate change, recycling, pollution and sustainable living.
last updated:
16 October, 2024
A diver documents the extent of coral bleaching on a reef in Malaysia. Photo: Reef Check Malaysia
Malaysia

Bleached and broken: how mass tourism is killing Malaysia’s coral paradise

Beneath Redang’s turquoise waters lies a growing crisis of coral bleaching, trash and human negligence.

Extreme weather

At least 9 dead, including 8 in Kentucky, amid latest blast of US winter weather

Japan

Japan’s Tepco takes on challenge of making space for Fukushima nuclear debris

South Korea

South Korea to reconsider using paper straws amid global shift back to plastic

Review will examine how much environmental impact paper and plastic straws carry throughout different stages of their life cycle.

The outcome of South Korea’s review is likely to determine whether the government will continue promoting paper straws. Photo: TNS
Conservation

Opinion | Asia must act to avoid eating pangolins out of existence

Only decisive, coordinated action can help Asia curb wildlife smuggling and keep its appetite for pangolin from killing off the species.

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Indonesia

Toxic tides: life in Indonesia’s most polluted village

Once a pristine fishing hamlet, Tanjung Uma is now drowning in garbage and disease as it bears the brunt of unchecked waste and environmental collapse.

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Animals

Humpback whale swallows then spits out kayaker in Chile – and it’s captured on video

Adrian Simancas was paddling off Chilean Patagonia when the giant whale surged out of the water swallowing him and his yellow kayak.

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A humpback whale briefly swallowing the kayaker. Photo: Dell Simancas via AP
Wellness

Microplastic levels in our brains are rising fast, study finds

The research also found a big jump in microplastics in people’s livers in an analysis of samples of deceased people taken in 2016 and 2024.

Donald Trump

Mixed reaction to Trump’s return to plastic straws

Some are eager to say goodbye to paper straws, while others caution about the broader environmental implications of the decision

US-China relations

Opinion | China must assess risks and rewards as Trump reverses US climate policy

Beijing can no longer expect to use climate cooperation as a bargaining chip with Washington. But a chance arises to seize global climate leadership.

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Climate activists project a message onto Tower Bridge with a silhouette of Donald Trump, ahead of Cop29 climate talks, in London, Britain, on November 7, 2024. Photo: Reuters
South China Sea

China and Vietnam cause most damage to South China Sea’s corals: report

The report, which also lists the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan, says the claimants’ activities have caused ‘irreparable’ damage.

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Divers swim above damaged staghorn corals off Malaysia’s Tioman island in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Does Malaysia have enough water to power its data centres?

Data shows that water infrastructure in three states can only provide 142 million litres a day to firms, far short of the total 808 MLD needed.

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Climate change

‘Virtually certain’ Earth has already breached 1.5-degree warming threshold

Last year’s record-breaking temperatures could be a sign that the world was entering a new era of global warming.

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Donald Trump

Trump signs order on plastic drinking straws, says paper ones ‘explode’

Move by Trump targets a Biden administration policy to phase out federal purchases of single-use plastics, including straws.

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Environmentalists have long campaigned for an end to the use of plastic straws and other utensils. Photo: Shutterstock
Science

Tibetan tree rings link climate change and fall of major Chinese dynasties

Study tracking climate patterns across thousands of years found that periods of lower rainfall coincided with some major political upheavals.

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Dry periods on the Tibetan plateau were linked with major political upheaval. Photo: Xinhua
Australia

Australia plans ‘long-term managed retreat’ from Cocos Islands

Many of the islands’ residents are descendants of Malay workers brought there to work in coconut plantations in the 1830s.

Science

China has met most of its 5-year goals. It hasn’t done so well on emissions

Country will struggle to meet targets for energy consumption and carbon emissions reduction, according to Tsinghua University analysis.

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Indonesia

With deforestation rising, is Indonesia missing the forest for the trees?

Indonesia lost more than 26,000 sq km of primary and secondary forests last year, according to a new NGO report.

An aerial photo taken in December shows visible deforestation for nickel mining in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat Islands. Photo: Auriga Nusantara
Japan

‘More devastating than atomic bomb’: fears mount over Japanese lab in Nagasaki

The laboratory, which will study some of the deadliest viruses, has prompted concerns over a repeat of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Americas and the Caribbean

‘Like a stream of blood’: Argentina river turns red, sparking fears of toxic leak

Officials suspect the presence of aniline, a toxic substance used in dyes and medicines.

Hong Kong environmental issues

Letters | Why Hong Kong should consider carbon taxes

Readers discuss the need for the city to step up measures to combat climate change, and making compliance easier for small businesses.

Storm clouds gather over buildings in Hong Kong on September 5, 2024, as super typhoon Yagi moved across the South China Sea towards the southern China coast. Photo: AFP
Science

More rice, less gas: Chinese-Swedish team makes hybrid to cut methane emissions

Researchers hope to register their rice in China for farmers and are working with firms to add oxantel to fertilisers.

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Scientists say their new low-methane hybrid rice could address a rise in rice-related emissions because of global warming and an increasing global population. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Melting point: Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival skates on thin climate ice

This year’s festival came dangerously close to being cancelled, before it was saved by a last-minute snowfall.

Wellness

Are microplastics behind some premature births? US study raises the prospect

More microplastics and nanoplastics found in placentas of babies born early than delivered full term; a causal link is possible, doctors say.

Business of climate change

Nature investments are the way to go to tackle climate change, fund manager says

London-based fund manager Climate Asset Management touts long-term investment benefits, as such investments are about to take off.

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Frequent extreme climate events, pollution and over-exploitation are affecting natural resources such as forests, soil and water that are essential to a sustainable economy. Photo: AP Photo
Malaysia

Stripped for parts: Vietnamese poachers target last of Malaysia’s wild tigers

Poachers use commercial fishing fleets to smuggle what remains of Malaysia’s wild tiger population out of the country, a new report finds.

A Malayan tiger is seen in its enclosure at a zoo in Cincinnati, the United States. Photo: AP
Wellness

Paper tissues or handkerchiefs, which is better for you and the planet?

Cloth handkerchiefs are more sustainable than disposable tissues, although they can harbour germs if not washed or stored properly.

Business of climate change

Chinese firms install record power capacity in belt and road nations: report

Reliance on dirty energy sources remained big at 48 per cent of projects in 2024, versus 55 per cent in 2022, report showed.

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