Articles Category: Environment

As the world came together to celebrate World Tourism Day on 27th September, the theme “Tourism and Peace” took centre stage, underscoring tourism’s profound role in fostering understanding, unity, and peace among diverse cultures and communities.

The clock is ticking on the world’s climate goals. With Asia accounting for half of the world’s carbon emissions due to its heavy reliance on fossil fuels, the region is a deciding factor in the race to limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2050.

The impact of climate change has escalated globally, with an estimated 2.8 trillion US dollars in global loss and damage from 2000 to 2019, according to a 2023 study cited by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Southeast Asia, one of the most vulnerab

The ASEAN region is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. According to the ASEAN State of Climate Change Report (2021), the ASEAN region faces escalating consequences of climate change, including rising temperatures, more frequent extreme

Water festivals are important occasions in Southeast Asia and Northeast India. Despite geographical differences, the water festivals celebrated in the two regions are startlingly similar, underscoring Southeast Asia and Northeast India’s common cultura

Water and sanitation are pivotal for sustainable development. Emperor Naruhito, known for his keen interest in water policy, stated at the 9th World Water Forum, “Water plays a critical role on this continent where rapid socio-economic development is t

On 11 October 2024, Ekkaphab Phanthavong officially completes his tenure as the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Before assuming his role at the ASEAN Secretariat, he was the Ambassador/Permanent Representative

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, first woman Prime Minister of Norway, pioneered the concept of sustainable development and shaped its early agenda. She is a founding member of The Elders, the group of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reflects on his 10-year tenure as chief diplomat and development advocate, and the role that mutlilateralism plays in addressing ongoing and emerging global challenges.

Hugh Lim, Executive Director of Centre for Liveable Cities, weighs in on what it takes to build pandemic-proof and resilient cities based on the practices that worked and deficiencies that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses the benefits

ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi talks to The ASEAN on the qualities and benefits of smart cities, as well as the ongoing initiatives to support the region’s 26 major cities in developing, updating, and implementing their smart city action pla

Josefa is a member of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Steering Committee, representing indigenous and local youth. GYBN is the official youth constituency to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). She was named a National Geograp

Bjorn took a leap of faith after 10 years of working in the digital marketing industry to explore a more sustainable lifestyle. His decision led him to a soul-searching journey across the United Kingdom, Spain, and Japan, where he learned to grow food

Seeing massive amounts of fresh produce thrown away in Singapore’s wet markets motivated Han Jing to help reduce food waste. She started composting seven years ago, when she was still a student at Nanyang Technological University. Family and friends so

Kotchakorn Voraakhom is on a mission to save her hometown, Bangkok, from the worst of environmental degradation. Armed with a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Harvard University in the United States, Kotch established a landscape architec

In 2013, Gibran Huzaifah introduced eFishery, a smart-feeding technology that modernised the feeding method for fish and shrimps, and in the process, transformed the lives of fish and shrimp farmers in Indonesia. Once a fish farmer himself, Gibran says

Pimvadee travels along mountain terrains to remote villages in Lao PDR and Myanmar, working together with rural communities to prepare for natural disasters, such as flooding and landslides.  Living with communities for two weeks for each assignment, s

Freelance photographer Alex Baluyut and theater actress Preciosa Leano are the founders of the non-profit organisation, Art Relief Mobile Kitchen in the Philippines (AMRK), that feeds distressed populations in disaster and conflict areas.   The couple