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.
With 80 percent of the region surrounded by water, ASEAN regularly faces water-related disasters such as floods, cyclones and storms – which are heightened by climate change.Greenhouse gases (GHG) are progressively warming the environment, and melting ice sheets and glaciers are increasing the volume of the world’s oceans and causing devastating coastal flooding across the world. Floods and storms have historically been two of the most frequent types of disasters reported in the regi
Thailand could be the next major ASEAN city to move its capital.
Indonesia’s decision to move its capital from Jakarta raises several key questions for Southeast Asia’s largest economy.Faced with notorious traffic jams, rapid sinking and a host of other problems, Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo last week officially announced plans to shift ASEAN’s most populous capital to Kalimantan – an area on Borneo, an island which Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei.With Indonesia located in the Ring of Fire, Kalimantan was identified as a possible lo
Singapore needs at least US$72 billion to build defences against rising sea levels, its leader said Sunday as the low-lying city-state gears up against the impact of climate changePrime Minister Lee Hsien Loong described climate change as "one of the gravest challenges facing humankind" and said the Southeast Asian country is already feeling the impact through a hotter weather and heavier rainstorms.He devoted a large portion of a major policy speech late Sunday – which included ini
For anyone still undecided about the consequences of global warming, the summer of 2018, one of the hottest on record, should have tipped the scales. Across far-flung longitudes and latitudes, regions are struggling with the fallout from large-scale climate-related events.In the southern United States (US), cities and towns pummelled by Hurricane Florence in September were still drying out when Hurricane Michael brought more flooding in October.
