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Environment in Asia

  • Singapore haze at worst yet, Malaysia schools shut doors

    MALAYSIA, 2013/06/24 Singapore urged people to remain indoors amid unprecedented levels of air pollution Thursday as a smoky haze wrought by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia worsened dramatically. Nearby Malaysia closed 200 schools and banned open burning in some areas. The Pollutant Standards Index, Singapore's major measure for air pollution, surged to a record reading of 371, breaching the “hazardous” classification that can aggravate respiratory ailments. The previous all-time high before this week was in 1997, at the same time as the index reached 226.

  • Indonesia smoke pollution thickens

    INDONESIA, 2013/06/24 Malaysia declared a national of emergency in two parts of the southern national of Johor on Sunday as smoke from land-clearing fires in Indonesia pushed air pollution above the level considered hazardous. The illegal burning of forests and other land on Indonesia's Sumatra island, to the west of peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, to clear space for palm oil plantations is a chronic problem during the June-September dry season. The "haze" caused by fires in Riau province on Sumatra has as well shrouded neighboring Singapore but air quality in the city national improved over the weekend next reaching hazardous levels there.

  • Australia expects Japanese whaling ban this year

    JAPAN, 2013/06/24  Australia expects the International Court of Justice will outlaw Japanese whaling in the Antarctic before the next whale hunting season begins in January. Australia's case against Japan will begin in the United Nations court in The Hague on Wednesday. Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said on Sunday he expects to win before the next southern hemisphere summer. The whaling fleet generally leaves Japan each December to begin harpooning whales in January in the Antarctic Ocean, where Australia declared a whale sanctuary in 1999. 

  • New universal agreement on climate change

    WORLD, 2013/06/17 The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) says it has made 'concrete progress' towards a new universal agreement on climate change during its latest round of talks which wrapped up on Friday in Bonn, Germany. A UN statement, made available to PANA in New York on Saturday, quoted UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Ms. Christiana Figuere, as saying that this had been an important meeting because governments were moving faster now from the stage of exploring options to designing and implementing solutions. 

  • UN chief calls for protection of marine environment

    EUROPE, 2013/06/11 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the international community to do additional to reverse degradation of the marine environment, which influences virtually amount aspects of life on the planet. “Let us work together to create new waves of action for ocean sustainability – for people and the planet,” Ban said in a message marking the World Oceans Day. He stated: “From trade to food to climate regulation, the oceans are integral to amount of humanity. This is particularly so for coastal dwellers whose gain and culture are irrevocably bound to the sea'.

  • Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov

    TURKMENISTAN, 2013/05/13 A decree recently signed by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov orders government ministries to plant 3 million trees in 2013 to transform the country into a ''blooming garden and further enrich its beautiful nature in the era of power and happiness''. RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports that 465,000 public-sector employees, inclunding those working at schools and universities in the country, took shovels in hand on March 10 and spent the day planting 755,000 trees.

  • Presidential candidates’ policy pledges threaten the environment

    MALDIVES, 2013/05/07 The Environment Ministry has ‘called out’ presidential candidates for making election pledges that threaten the environment, amidst civil society calls for government authorities to support NGOs’ sustainable development initiatives. Environment Minister Dr Mariyam Shakeela noted that no policy on environmental protection has been articulated by candidates despite their numerous election pledges during her speech at the “NGO Forum on Environment and Sustainable Development 2013” held by the Environment Ministry and NGO Federation yesterday (May 5).

  • Developing Nations Put Climate Change at Heart of Plans

    WESTERN ASIA, 2013/04/27 Representatives from governments in Africa and Asia have formed a network to support their efforts to factor climate change into their development plans.  The group developed its plans at the 7th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change, which ended Thursday in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

  • World Bank Sees Climate Change Cutting Crop Production in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

    EUROPE, 2013/04/10 In parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, climate change is poised to hamper food production and curb rural incomes over the next decades unless farmers get the help they need through improved water management and irrigation infrastructure, wider access to technology and data, and better land management and farming practices.

  • Standard Bank & ICBC to Fund Renewable Energy Projects

    CHINA, 2013/04/03 Standard Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) have signed a R20 billion ($2 billion) agreement to fund renewable energy projects in South Africa, it was announced on Tuesday.  Standard Bank is Africa’s biggest bank by assets and ICBC is a majority shareholder in Standard Bank with 20 % stake in the Johannesburg-based lender.
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