Asia
Caught between EU pressure and soaring demand, AIIB weighs end to gas finance
Many Asian countries see gas as a “transition fuel” away from coal, while Brussels is urging the region to go straight to renewables
China reaffirms existing climate targets in submission to UN ahead of Cop26
Analysts say a severe power crunch facing the country and the incremental rise in ambition from other large emitters like the US deterred Beijing from raising ambition
Japan eyes international carbon offsets to deliver 2030 emission cuts
Campaigners accused Japan of failing to take responsibility for cutting its own emissions and relying on developing nations to do so
UAE sets net zero by 2050 target, promises renewable investments
The oil-producing nation is planning to invest $163 billion in ‘clean and renewable’ energy over the next 30 years
Turkey ratifies the Paris Agreement after approving a 2053 net zero goal
Documents agreed by parliament included a declaration that Turkey would implement the climate treaty as a developing country, despite its developed nation status
Afghanistan at risk of hunger amid drought and Taliban takeover
As the Taliban seizes control of Afghanistan, experts warn severe drought could worsen the humanitarian crisis triggered by an exodus of western forces
Sri Lanka rules out new coal power, promotes rooftop solar
The government wants 70% of the island’s electricity to come from renewables by 2030 and is offering cheap loans to install rooftop solar
‘Hottest games ever’: At the Tokyo Olympics, elite sport met the climate crisis
Athletes fainted as wet bulb temperatures reached dangerous levels in Tokyo, raising questions about the future of major sporting events in an overheated world
A week of wildfires has left thousands homeless in southern Turkey
Experts say forest management and firefighting equipment is needed to prevent future disasters, as climate change brings hotter and drier conditions
Indonesia to burn coal well into the 2050s, under updated climate plan
The world’s second biggest coal producing country is depending on carbon capture to keep the industry alive in its “low carbon” scenario
UK calls on Indonesia to set out roadmap to net zero emissions
During a three-day visit to southeast Asia’s largest economy, Alok Sharma met with a host of ministers to discuss how to transition the nation from coal to renewables
With Indonesia’s answer to Elon Musk in jail, electric vehicles are going nowhere
Electric vehicle pioneer Dasep Ahmadi was imprisoned over a failed experiment, with a chilling effect on innovation
Asian Development Bank plans exit from coal finance
As Asian lenders are turning their back on coal, campaigners warn against treating methane gas as a “transition fuel”, calling for an end to all fossil finance
Meet the Indian climate experts desperately trying to save lives from Covid-19
Climate researchers and journalists are working to connect Covid sufferers with oxygen supplies and hospital beds as India’s health crisis deepens
Pakistan explores debt-for-nature scheme to accelerate its 10 billion tree tsunami
Creditors could grant Pakistan debt relief in exchange for meeting nature restoration targets, under a proposed first-of-its-kind bond
Cyclone Seroja kills 160 people, exposes Indonesia’s climate vulnerability
Campaigners say a government rollback of environmental regulations increases Indonesia’s vulnerability to flash floods and landslides
Japan set to raise ambition of 2030 climate goal
The Japanese government is proposing to cut emissions 45% from 2013 levels by 2030, while campaigners push for deeper reductions
Coal-backing Japanese bank bids for Green Climate Fund partnership
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is applying to channel money from the Green Climate Fund, against opposition from green campaigners over its coal lending
China makes no shift away from coal in five-year plan as it ‘crawls’ to carbon neutrality
Beijing set out incremental increases in climate targets to 2025, allowing for continued expansion of “clean” coal, to the disappointment of climate watchers
UN suspends climate work with Myanmar government following military coup
The military takeover in Myanmar raises fears of pollution, deforestation and revival of a controversial hydropower dam, as international agencies put climate projects on hold