11. Sustainable cities and communities
More than half of the world’s population now live in urban areas. By 2050, that figure will have risen to 6.5 billion people – two-thirds of all humanity. Extreme poverty is often concentrated in urban spaces, and national and city governments struggle to accommodate the rising population in these areas. Making cities safe and sustainable means ensuring access to safe and affordable housing, and upgrading slum settlements. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces.
Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities is supported by ABB
News
Policy & Finance
Philippines’ BDO Unibank on urgency of blue bond and green financing: ‘We want to take the lead and work with regulators’
EB Studio
Federico P. Tancongco, senior vice president and chief compliance officer of the Philippines' largest lender, tells Eco-Business why he does not foresee the bank walking back on its commitments to tighten coal-related financing.
Food & Agriculture
Puppy-fattening farmers switch trades: Is an end in sight for Vietnam’s dog meat market?
As dog meat bans sweep across Asia, Vietnam is one of the few countries in Asia where consuming canines remains legal. Puppy-fattening farmer Phạm Dũng tells Eco-Business why he switched to growing bean sprouts. Meanwhile, experts debate the link between the dog meat trade and rabies.
Policy & Finance
Singtel expands internal carbon pricing scheme as part of accelerated 2045 net-zero push
Singapore's largest telco is set to levy an internal carbon fee on a wider range of projects following earlier shadow pricing trials. Sustainability chief Aileen Tan tells Eco-Business going green faster is a business imperative.
The Philippines is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change and its students are among those paying the highest price.
Policy & Finance
Chinese companies pilot nature-related disclosures
Opinion
Carbon & Climate
Fossil fuel ads work on you too – here’s how
Fossil fuel firms are among the biggest spenders on Google ads that are designed to resemble search results.
There is still ambiguity in how penalties for bad waste management are enforced. The lack of data on the waste being imported into Malaysia makes it difficult for authorities to assess the risks associated with transboundary waste imports.
Carbon & Climate
The 1.5°C target for global warming must prevail
Limiting global warming is a matter of social justice, human rights and long-term development, and this imperative remains even if we cross the 1.5°C threshold. The 1.5°C target remains relevant.
For Southeast Asia, it need not be a binary choice between maintaining status quo or pushing for 'degrowth'. Reducing emissions without neglecting job growth imposes lower social costs, and can be a pathway to take for the region.
Policy & Finance
How Europe can get the green deal done
Carbon & Climate
Could the low-carbon economy bill re-write the Philippines' future?
Carbon & Climate
Strengthening Asia's voice for sustainable development
Food & Agriculture
Fertilisers will not fix Africa's food crisis
Videos
Exclusive
Jack Johnson says yes, but it is a long road ahead. In this exclusive interview, we ask the American singer-songwriter and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador about his hopes for the state of the world and how music plays a role in providing a dose of optimism in dark times.
Launched as policymakers lock horns with petrochemicals lobbyists over a treaty to end plastic pollution, the documentary produced by Eco-Business asks why opportunities to solve humanity's waste crisis are being wasted. It will premiere in Singapore and screen on the sidelines of the upcoming COP28 climate summit.
Policy & Finance
‘Environmental defenders are the glue of the Philippines’ democracy’: Delikado director Karl Malakunas
The veteran journalist talks to Eco-Business about how his Emmy-nominated documentary depicts the lives of environmental crusaders in Asia's deadliest country for guardians of the seas and forests.
Policy & Finance
As anti-mining protests heighten in the Philippines, industry observers call for ‘prudence’ in police intervention
Video footage appears to show protestors, who were demonstrating against mining operations, being dragged away by police near Ipilan Nickel Mine in Brooke’s Point, Palawan. Mining insiders are calling for maximum tolerance in similar standoffs.
Podcasts
EB Studio
Already a serious issue facing Asia Pacific, water security will continue to worsen in lockstep with climate change in the region. This is what Xylem is trying to solve through its mission and corporate purpose, Chong Hin Koh tells the Eco-Business podcast.
Policy & Finance
‘Never give in to fear’: Nobel peace prize nominee and Filipino Indigenous leader Vicky Tauli Corpuz
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' month in the Philippines, the former United Nations special rapporteur tells the Eco-Business Podcast about her lifelong work to empower communities in Asia’s most dangerous country for environmental defenders.
Food & Agriculture
Dimsum from microbes, anyone?: How alternative proteins are cheaper, tastier and going local
EB Studio
What are the latest trends in the alternative proteins industry today? The Eco-Business podcast discusses new hybrid products, more localised offerings and cheaper prices due to economies of scale.
GoTo sustainability head Tanah Sullivan tells the Eco-Business Podcast that regulating net-zero claims would decarbonise Southeast Asia faster. Indonesia's biggest internet firm aims to cut emissions to zero by 2030 — a target critics say is unrealistic.
