Pressures from population growth and an economic boom have increased demand for water in Vietnam, risking depletion of the valuable resource and threatening the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by up to six percent by 2035 – a year’s worth of GDP growth.About 8.5 million urban citizens in Vietnam lack access to clean water, and in rural areas, about 41 million dwellers do not have clean water supply.

Eco-conscious consumers are giving up meat and driving electric cars to do their part for the environment, but what about that plate of rice?Global rice farming, it turns out, could have the same detrimental effect on global warming in the short term as 1,200 average-sized coal power plants, according to the New York-based Environmental Defense Fund advocacy group.

Climate change is the world’s most urgent problem, and in the United States (US), the left, at least, is taking it seriously. Earlier this year, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, introduced a Green New Deal (GND) resolution, which offers a blueprint for decarbonising the US economy.

In the last three years, the absolute number of people affected by undernourishment or chronic food deprivation globally has been on an increasing trajectory.

Since the massive mobilisation effort that preceded the 2009 Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen, the world has begun translating words and intentions into real action on climate change. European leadership – from government, civil society, and business – has played a pivotal role in driving progress. Given how much remains to be done, such leadership must continue – and become stronger.The successes of the last decade should not be underestimated.

The world has 11 years left, as reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to beef up its efforts to reduce global temperatures before it crosses the threshold leading to climate catastrophe. While ASEAN countries have expressed their joint commitment through national pledges to take action and fight climate change, they are also focusing on developing their nations as well.

Several challenges lie ahead for Malaysia if the former global tin leader is to revive the industry. Speaking to local media last week, Malaysia’s Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources, Dr Xavier Jayakumar, said the country is looking to restart the industry as prices have now rebounded to US$20,000 per metric tonne. However, it is not as simple as that. Firstly, prices above US$20,000 are nothing new.

For Singapore, integrating its climate change efforts and aligning them with international standards will be key to achieving several targets in the years to come. Noting that urbanisation and consumerism is leading to more competition for scarce resources, Masagos Zulkifli, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, this week said that dealing with the way the country produces and consumes requires collective action.“The world is at a critical turning point.

As the world celebrates Earth Day today, the theme for this year – protecting threatened and endangered species – remains as important as ever.The world’s largest environmental movement, the annual Earth Day works with more than 75,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to educate the public about environmental issues.Apart from climate change and the fight to end plastic pollution, the protection of endangered species ranks as one of the most pressing environmental concerns of our time.What is

ASEAN has to do more to attract private investment for key sustainable infrastructure programmes as the region makes the transition to a low carbon economy. HSBC presented a report to ASEAN Finance Ministers in Bangkok earlier this month ahead of their annual ministerial summit which outlined three recommendations in response to the region being disproportionately affected by climate change and the growing need for private investment to help bridge infrastructure funding gaps.The rep