Progress on reducing PM2.5 air pollution was led by Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia, while the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam recorded declining air quality, a new report showed.
Countries like Indonesia have already agreed to amend local labour laws as part of an earlier trade deal with the United States. Experts say businesses should monitor proceedings and defend best practices for worker rights.
The region's sustainable finance taxonomy must focus on building consensus around firms moving away from fossil fuels for the classification system to be successful in driving regional decarbonisation.