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SDG 9. Infrastructure
Support for fossil fuel subsidy cuts and coal phase-out gains momentum among Southeast Asians: survey
At least half of respondents want these subsidies to stop, reflecting a likely attitude shift as such cuts were seen as the least popular intervention previously. Most are still worried that the renewables push will hike up energy prices.
The pandemic shone a spotlight on the medical waste generated by stretched hospitals. The healthcare sector's decarbonisation efforts continue to be hampered by cost, habits and a lack of data.
The government is also pledging US$430 million for “marginally bankable” energy transition projects and accelerating the launch of a renewable energy exchange for cross-border trade, both part of its new energy transition roadmap.
SDG 13. Climate
Corporate governance structures in Asia: Does where the sustainability function sits affect a company’s climate strategy?
Most corporate sustainability functions in Asia evolved out of the communications department. Does that imply that sustainability is more about image than action? Where should a sustainability leader sit to drive real change?
SDG 12. Consumption
‘Decarbonisation cannot cost us business growth’: Pan Brothers sustainability chief on the net-zero challenge
A cap on renewables procurement and a declining local textiles industry are key obstacles to decarbonisation for Indonesian garment manufacturer Pan Brothers, says sustainability head Satrio Boediarto.
From Around Southeast Asia
SDG 13. Climate
‘The market is big enough for everyone’: Climate advisory and investment firm Pollination opens Singapore office
The London-headquartered company launches in the city-state, a competitive market with all of the big four professional services firms offering sustainability practices, with two managing directors.
SDG 11. Cities
Hong Kong property firms object to likely SBTi rule change; say it will make net-zero targets ‘impossible to achieve’ in Asia
Exclusive
Real estate firms are lobbying against a proposed change to the Science Based Targets initiative's accounting methodology for measuring Scope 2 electricity emissions, expected to be launched by the end of the year.
Led by China and Southeast Asia, new oil and gas facilities are being developed that will make decarbonisation harder to achieve.
The South Korean electronics giant has been criticised for relying on renewable energy certificates rather than "high impact" methods to reduce emissions and publishing potentially misleading emissions reduction data.
Indonesia could define new coal-powered generation as green under a tweaked version of its green taxonomy. Doing so, would relegate Indonesia to the bottom of the pack of global sustainable finance taxonomies.
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Spotlight on Indonesia
SDG 13. Climate
Indonesia communities lodge complaint against World Bank for ‘indirectly backing’ new coal plants
They say the two new units could cause thousands of premature deaths and are arguably unnecessary in the oversupplied local grid. However, the bank’s lending...
The Asian Development Bank, which partnered Indonesia to launch its first coal retirement deal last November, said that completing one of these transactions is...
For some, environmental issues had felt like safe reporting territory a few years ago, but that is no longer the case. Journalists from India to Thailand share...
The concept may seem simple, but it comes with risks and unaddressed questions, experts say. There are ongoing efforts to create the rules for such projects....
Spotlight on Philippines
SDG 8. Economic growth
At Asia energy conference, oil giants defend industry expansion despite climate warnings
Accelerating the energy transition might be high on the agendas of Asian governments, but at this week's Energy Asia conference held in Malaysia's capital, oil...
Research by National University of Singapore and PwC finds that 50 of the region's biggest companies are now better at reporting climate risk, but most are...
Gas and coal demand is up in South and Southeast Asia, as governments look to get people enough power for live-saving air-conditioning. Greener solutions come...
Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines have cancelled almost 13GW of coal projects in 2022, but this is far from what is needed to phase out the fossil fuel...
Spotlight on Vietnam
SDG 16. Peace
‘The red line is shifting’: Environmental journalists in Asia feel the squeeze on freedom to speak truth to power
For some, environmental issues had felt like safe reporting territory a few years ago, but that is no longer the case. Journalists from India to Thailand share...
Gas and coal demand is up in South and Southeast Asia, as governments look to get people enough power for live-saving air-conditioning. Greener solutions come...
Several changes to the country’s power development strategy had been made in a span of two years. The regional manufacturing hub has agreed to ditch coal by...
Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines have cancelled almost 13GW of coal projects in 2022, but this is far from what is needed to phase out the fossil fuel...
