No event since World War II’s (WWII) end has had as profound a global impact as COVID-19. The pandemic has triggered a public health and economic crisis on a scale unseen in generations and has exacerbated systemic problems such as inequality and great-power posturing.The only acceptable response to such a crisis is to pursue a “Great Reset” of our economies, politics, and societies.

Xi Jinping's vow to snuff out emissions by 2060 completes a diplomatic pirouette that moves China to the heart of the global green agenda, wrong-foots the United States (US) and cuddles up to Europe's climate advocates in one nimble step.The Chinese leader last month chose the United Nations (UN) as the stage for his country's unexpected pledge to reach peak coal use by 2030 and go carbon neutral three decades later.The announcement gives China – the world's biggest pollut

Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and about 97 percent of our planet’s water is in them. Of the tiny percentage of water that is not found in our oceans – about two percent – is frozen up in glaciers and ice caps.The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) noted that the oceans are a life-support system for the Earth and a global common that provide us with free goods and services, from the food we eat to the oxygen we breathe.

China's surprise pledge to slash its carbon footprint to zero by 2060 was met with cautious applause, but fresh spending on coal to rev up a virus-hit economy threatens to nullify its audacious bid to lead the world into a low carbon future.The fossil fuel has powered China's economic surge over the last thirty years, and the nation burns about half the coal used globally each year.Between 2000 and 2018, its annual carbon emissions nearly tripled, and it now accounts for nearly a th

Xi Jinping's shock promise to lead the world into a safer climate future was thin on details, leaving many questions unanswered on how the world's worst polluter will meet a 2060 carbon neutral target.China is responsible for over a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming.But it is also the biggest global investor in renewable energy - a country whose energy policy points both ways. We look at what China has achieved, what needs to be d

Climate change, driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), have caused devastating impacts on some parts of the world. This includes flooding, extreme rainfall patterns, increased heat and erosion in coastal areas, among others.

Global temperatures boosted by climate change will still be higher than usual despite the cooling effect of a La Nina weather phenomenon expected to develop in the coming months, the United Nations (UN) said Thursday.The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said there was a 60 percent chance of a La Nina event between September and November.But WMO chief Petteri Taalas warned in a statement that "even if a La Nina event does develop, its cooling signal will not be enough to counterbal

According to the World Bank, the global population is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 with two-thirds of this number living in cities. From that, an estimated 90 million people will move to cities in the ASEAN region. This means that urban dwellers would reflect 45 percent of ASEAN’s population where millions of people, especially those living in vulnerable places along river banks, canals and hill sides, will be exposed to the harmful effects of environmental damage.

New research published this July in The Lancet forecasts that continued growth “through the century is no longer the most likely trajectory for the world’s population.” Rather, the global population is likely to peak in 2064 at 9.7 billion, before declining to 8.8 billion by 2100.

While the world focuses on the COVID-19 crisis, climate change continues to advance. The consequences are devastating and becoming more so – and that includes for the pandemic response itself.There is no doubt that natural disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. This year alone, Australia grappled with its most destructive bushfires on record. East African countries have been battling the worst outbreak of desert locusts in decades.