Eco-Business

China's dam-building on the Mekong River is altering water flows and holding back sediment, affecting millions living downstream.

The proposal has been discussed twice in Cabinet meetings and the government is also looking into reducing electricity subsidies, though experts say this is something that will take 'more than just political will' to push through.

hydropower plant on Nam Theun river in Laos PDR

New research shows that these three Southeast Asian nations are among the top 20 countries in the world with unused profitable hydropower potential. Strict environmental rules are, however, vital to unlocking this potential.

As locals await relocation and environmentalists raise concerns over impacts on the Mekong’s ecology, the future of the planned Phou Ngoy dam looks uncertain.

By Basten Gokkon

By Ng Wai Mun

Thomson Reuters Foundation

By Anton L Delgado

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In Asean, there is no general regional agreement securing environmental rights and obligations but the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution is an example of a sectoral achievement. By Linda Yanti Sulistiawati

The region has a specialty coffee industry that is booming. But profits from the highly-priced coffee drinks do not translate to increased incomes for growers. Government subsidies and better consumer awareness can help. By Prapimphan Chiengkul

China is crafting “wonderful stories” about its upstream dams in the Mekong. But the overall thrust of the narrative glosses over the more controversial aspects of dam building. By Hoang Thi Ha

The spike in plastics waste during the pandemic is worsening marine pollution.

Mounting marine pollution is choking the world’s oceans and rivers, especially in Southeast Asia — and it’ll only get worse unless something changes. By Danny Marks

By Qiu Jiahui

By Gayathry Venkiteswaran

By Edward Park

By Helena Wright and Anders Nordheim

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Southeast Asian nations are racing to bring clean, affordable power to their people, but one country is outrunning them all. How can states make their renewable energy transition a success?

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Laos has announced the construction of two new coal plants for this year, despite growing evidence that coal power comes with significant financial risk. What is holding back the country from tapping its rich clean energy resources instead?

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