Environment and natural resources
Climate change
As global food demand rises, climate change is hitting staple crops
While increases in population and wealth will lift global demand for food by up to 70 percent by 2050, agriculture is already feeling the effects of climate change. This is expected to continue in coming decades. Scientists and farmers will need to act on multiple fronts ...
Climate captives: Life and loss in the Mekong river delta
The growing impact of climate change on the people living in the Mekong river delta is the focus of Singapore-based photographer Oh Soon-Hwa’s new solo exhibition. Submerged up to her midriff in the muddy water of a mangrove swamp, Bong is collecting her catch for the ...
Unusually strong tides erode coastal land
Hundred metres of land along rivers and coastlines have been destroyed by unusually strong winds and waves, combined with rising tides in the southernmost province of Cà Mau. According to the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department, waves and rising tides have caused severe land ...
Water experts: Myanmar needs to prepare for climate change
With the threat of climate change and population growth, Myanmar – a nation rich in water resources – has to put in place proper measures to ensure water security for the future, experts said. National University of Singapore’s Assistant Professor Dr Winston Chow, who has ...
Some business fields to face big challenges in 2017
The severe weather conditions in the first months of 2016 with drought and saline intrusion dealt a strong blow on Vietnam’s agriculture, leading to minus growth rate of the sector in the first half of the year. Agricultural production, which has just recovered from the damage ...
Global hydropower boom will add to climate change
From the Amazon Basin to boreal forests, and from the Mekong to the Himalayan foothills, rivers worldwide are being targeted for major new dams in a global hydropower boom that also aims to supply drinking water to exploding human populations and to facilitate navigation on ...
The new normal: facing climate change
Last year’s drought caused a nationwide crisis, with harvests ruined, forest fires raging and many rural families struggling to feed themselves. As experts take stock of the impact, news of another potential El Niño raises a question: Is Cambodia prepared for the next drought? For ...
Sea breaches Bạc Liêu Province dykes in 2 places
Two sea dykes in the Mekong Delta (Cửu Long) province of Bạc Liêu were badly damaged on Sunday and Monday by high tides, huge waves and strong winds, threatening the lives and properties of local residents. In Bạc Liêu city, huge waves and powerful winds ...
Northern provinces assess efforts to control locust outbreak
Five northern provinces recently reported on their efforts to prevent and control locust outbreaks in the 2015-16 fiscal year, and announced plans to prevent a further invasion this year. The five provinces are Huaphan, Luang Prabang, Xieng Khuang, Oudomxay and Phongsaly. More than 4,000 hectares ...
ASEAN energy cooperation: the only way to prevent ‘lights out’ in the region
The countries comprising Southeast Asia have witnessed steady economic growth and improving living standards since the Asian Financial Crisis. Having weathered the global fiscal and financial crisis better than most other parts of the world, Southeast Asia has become the third-fastest growing region in the ...