At the United Nations (UN) General Assembly this September, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Given that China has been the planet’s single-largest source of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in recent years – accounting for about 30 percent – decarbonisation there could contribute substantially to the global effort to mitigate climate change. China, of course, will have to rebalance its economy.

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

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

Although fossil fuels are the single biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, coal continues to be supported by both the government and businesses in the Philippines.While it is the cheapest fuel option, coal is also the most polluting one.

Although Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced Thailand’s commitment to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in 2017, outbound investment remains a largely unregulated sector.Thai firms are significant investors in ASEAN countries, and Thailand’s foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region stood at US$2.37 billion in 2017 – behind only Singapore (US$18.75 billion) and Malaysia (US$3.99 billion). Thai companies also have a vast reach.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has come under fire for referring to a newly-opened coal-fired power plant as “clean”, raising concerns about the country’s focus on renewable energy in the face of its increasing energy needs.The 500-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Mauban, Quezon, will provide additional energy supply to the Luzon grid and boost Duterte’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program according to the Presidential Communications Operations Office.The US$1.1 billion pl

After Indonesia’s Petrosea embarked on the digital transformation of its Tabang coal mine in Kalimantan in June 2018, it soon became apparent that initiatives like real-time performance monitoring and predictive maintenance would help ensure the company’s sustainable growth.Indonesia is ASEAN’s largest producer of coal and fifth largest in the world, and as demand for energy continually increases, a number of Southeast Asian countries continue to utilise coal as a cheap way to meet their ener