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Environment in Asia

  • Sri Lanka seeks international assistance as monsoon death toll reaches 113

    SRI LANKA, 2017/05/29 Death toll from recent landslides and floods, triggered by monsoon, in Sri Lanka has reached 113, as the island country has sought international assistance. The national-run disaster management center, while updating the death toll from an before figure of 91, said on Saturday that nearly 100 people were still missing next the worst torrential downpours since 2003 drenched the tropical Indian Ocean island country.
  • Dealing with the ‘loss and damage’ caused by climate change

    WORLD, 2017/05/14 Scaling down our emissions and building resilience against climate change can only take us so far. Some negative impacts and damages are now unavoidable. The inevitable consequences of human-caused climate change have collectively come to be known as “loss and damage”. First emerging decades ago as a relatively obscure plea by small island states, loss and damage has now gained recognition as the third pillar of international climate policy, after mitigation and adaptation. But turning the concept of loss and damage into something more tangible for countries bearing the brunt of extreme weather or rising seas has proved more fractious.
  • Greentech building Japan Sekisui House: Building by example with zero-energy housing

    HONG KONG, 2017/03/04 Leading the greentech building revolution is Japanese firm Sekisui Home, the world’s number one constructor of zero-energy houses, whose CEO was the only private sector representative to take part in a roundtable discussion on Low-carbon and Affordable Buildings at the COP22 U.N. Climate Change Summit in November Innovative Japanese-made products have made Japan a world leader in environmental technologies, from top selling green vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Nissan Leaf, to energy-saving paint developed by companies like NCK. Presently you may be familiar with zero emission vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, but what about zero-energy houses? As the name implies, a zero-energy home (ZEH) uses energy-saving technology and solar power to reduce net energy consumption to zero.
  • Turkmenistan intends to sign the Paris climate agreement

    FRANCE, 2016/08/28 Turkmenistan intends to sign the Paris climate agreement, the Turkmen government said August 27. According to Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s decree, Rashid Meredov, Turkmen foreign minister, deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, will sign the document.
  • India should follow China to find a way out of the woods on saving forest people

    CHINA, 2016/07/23 There was a time at the same time as the area leading up to the village of Usku Dadjo in the national of Jharkhand, east India, was dense forest. But because residents did not have the right to manage their land, the forest was steadily degraded by outsiders. Presently, only sand and scrub remain. Last year, the community started to reclaim traditional lands using India’s groundbreaking 2006 Forest Rights Act. While the community has not from presently on received any response from the government, residents have put up signs asserting their right to the land. The struggle of communities like Usku Dadjo is linked to world efforts to conserve forests, reduce poverty and achieve development with dignity for marginalised people.
  • Building a Global Action Platform to Create Abundant Food, Health, and Prosperity—While Saving the Planet’s Ecology

    WORLD, 2016/06/11 The grand challenges of poverty, health, and economic prosperity can be solved. Indeed, it is possible to harness an emerging alliance of institutions, a growing knowledge base, technology platforms, and innovations to unleash an abundant and ecologically sustainable next for each person and for the earth. World Action Platform began with this bold vision in 2012. A lot of criticized this vision at the time, but today, our founding vision is gaining ground. Indeed, with the 2015 launch of the Sustainable Development Goals, this vision is being embraced actively by a growing network of corporations, universities, investors, governments, and NGOs around the world.
  • Turkmenistan concerned over Caspian Sea ecological state

    TURKMENISTAN, 2016/05/28 Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov, during his visit to Avaza tourist zone located in the east side of the Caspian Sea, mentioned that the environmental conditions of the Caspian Sea and protection of its biodiversity should be kept under the constant control. Being one of the fastest growing geopolitical and economic centers of Eurasia, the Caspian Sea is threatened by extreme levels of pollution, inclunding fluctuating water levels. Turkmenistan is concerned over the ecological national of the Caspian Sea, and the government is continuously taking measures to solve a range of issues in this regard.
  • Great Barrier Reef, Reeling Under Extensive Coral Bleaching, Finds No Mention In Key UN Climate Report

    WORLD, 2016/05/28 The Great Barrier Reef — the world’s largest living structure — contributes over $5 billion annually to the Australian economy, with tourism accounting for a huge chunk of the money generated. However, in recent years, climate change-induced ocean acidification has severely damaged the iconic structure, putting at risk not only the countless species that depend on it, but also the revenue stream that supports a significant portion of economic activity in Australia.
  • Air pollution rising at an 'alarming rate' in world's cities

    WORLD, 2016/05/13 Outdoor air pollution has grown 8% globally in the completed five years, with billions of people around the world presently exposed to dangerous air, according to new data from additional than 3,000 cities compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the new WHO database, levels of ultra-fine particles of less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5s) are highest in India, which has 16 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities. China, which has been plagued by air pollution, has improved its air quality since 2011 and presently has only five cities in the top 30. Nine other nations, inclunding Pakistan and Iran, have one city each in the worst 30.
  • Japan donates meteorological equipment to Mozambique

    JAPAN, 2016/03/26 Japan has donated meteorological equipment to the National Institute of Meteorology of Mozambique in order to increase its capacity to monitor, estimate and prepare weather warnings, at an event held Wednesday in Maputo. The equipment, costing an estimated US$100,000, includes equipment for calibration of barometers and thermometers, and its delivery was witnessed by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Carlos Mesquita, according to Mozambican newspaper Notícias.