Just as one generation gives way to the next, global challenges are superseded by a new cohort. The once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic – and the risk that other dangerous new viruses may emerge at any time – is far from the only example. Extreme weather events resulting from climate change are having catastrophic consequences. Information technology and data are sometimes used maliciously or for cyberwarfare.
People with disabilities are being “systematically ignored” by governments around the world when it comes to the climate crisis, even though they are particularly at risk from the impacts of extreme weather, research has shown.Few countries make provisions for the needs of people with disabilities when they make plans for adapting to the effects of climate breakdown, and none mention disabled people in their programmes to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the first comprehen
As southern Australia continues to recover from the destruction of the 2019-2020 ‘Black Summer’ bushfires, towns in Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) have just experienced devastating floods.Some towns have even seen ‘once in 100-year’ floods occur twice in several weeks. In Lismore, an NSW town of nearly 30,000 people, the river rose more than 14 metres in late February, breaching the town’s levees and inundating people’s homes and businesses.
Ahead of the November 2019 election, Sri Lankan presidential challenger Gotabaya Rajapaksa proposed sweeping tax cuts so reckless the incumbent government thought it must be a campaign gimmick.The finance minister at the time, Mangala Samaraweera, called a briefing to assail the “dangerous” pledge to reduce the value-added tax to eight percent from 15 percent and to scrap other levies.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further dampened the economic prospects for developing countries in east Asia and the Pacific, meaning lower economic growth and higher poverty in the region this year, the World Bank has warned.The Ukraine factor came on top of the existing risks that the region – home to 2.1 billion people and stretching from China to Papua New Guinea – has been facing in recent years.
The 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 11 December has once again highlighted long-standing debates about how well China has lived up to its WTO obligations, and whether any deviation from its commitments boosts or slows its economic growth.
Less than a century ago, most products in Asia were made mainly from natural materials, and were built to last or to biodegrade easily.
Electric Vehicles (EVs), including hybrid electric cars, can drastically reduce carbon emissions released into the environment.
COVID-19 has claimed more than 700,000 lives, infected over 19 million people, and decimated rich and poor economies alike. But, even as most of the world faces unprecedented recession, policy responses differ sharply. The contrast between Europe and Asia is a case in point.Both regions are undoubtedly facing serious economic hardship. The European Commission (EC) expects the eurozone economy – which grew by 1.3 percent in 2019 – to contract by 8.7 percent this year.
The COVID-19 coronavirus has spread across the globe at an alarming pace with ominous consequences. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic, where approximately 210 countries have been affected. The COVID-19 virus has infected over 3.4 million people, with more than 230,000 deaths globally. In Indonesia, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases have crossed the 10,000 mark with 800 coronavirus-related deaths.
While electric vehicles (EVs) continue to capture the attention of consumers in ASEAN, policies and subsidies in line with those found in countries leading the switch to EVs will make electric vehicles a more attractive proposition for the region. EVs, including hybrid electric cars, can drastically reduce carbon emissions released into the environment. Compared to conventional cars that release unhealthy amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide into the
