Asia Pacific‘s leading platform for sustainable development
15. Life on land
Forests cover 30 per cent of the Earth’s surface and in addition to providing food security and shelter, forests are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and the homes of the indigenous population. Thirteen million hectares of forests are being lost every year while the persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares.
Deforestation and desertification – caused by human activities and climate change – pose major challenges to sustainable development and have affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the fight against poverty. Efforts are being made to manage forests and combat desertification.
Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 15: Life on land
To adopt SDG 15 Life on land, in support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, please contact us at partners@eco-business.com
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A new documentary, “Jejak Wallacea,” highlights how coastal communities across eastern Indonesia are reviving customary marine management systems to protect ecosystems threatened by destructive fishing, turtle hunting and habitat loss.
Inspectors at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port found hundreds of individual containers of mercury hidden in carpets in a shipment bound for the Philippines in late April.
In April, the Trump administration released its proposed fiscal year 2027 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Gap between principle and practice risks widening if the country does not more fully include Indigenous people in its climate action plan.
Opinion
Carbon & Climate
Trees and greenery can cool cities by as much as 18°C – but only if they’re the right type
Trees are one of the most popular responses because they provide shade and reduce the amount of heat absorbed by surrounding surfaces. But outdoor comfort depends on more than air temperature alone.
New research finds urban trees can cut city heat almost in half, though unequal tree cover and rising temperatures mean greening alone will not shield cities from worsening climate extremes.
As national systems rapidly expand in the region, the challenge and opportunity is to align them into an interoperable network that can unlock efficient, trusted, and scalable global climate finance.
Food & Agriculture
Changing diets amid a changing climate
Much attention has been paid to switching from meat-based diets to plant-based ones. Less attention has been paid to the effects of climate change on the quality and quantity of plant foods.
Carbon & Climate
‘They invite us to speak, but not to decide’
Videos
Carbon & Climate
More forest protection and financing needed in 13th Malaysia Plan, say environmental groups
NGOs urged the government to improve forest data transparency by making maps of protected areas publicly available, and to channel funds to frontline communities living near forests.
The Green Mortician is the city-state's first water cremation service, which has a small carbon footprint compared to traditional funeral options.
Carbon & Climate
Lending forests a voice with primatologist Andie Ang
Amid competing concerns such as urban development and tackling climate change, keeping biodiversity conservation in people's minds can be a challenge. Eco-Business asks primatologist Andie Ang how that can be tackled.
Carbon & Climate
Climate spiral: what 141 years of global warming looks like
As planetary temperatures reach an all-time high, a climate scientist has designed a new way to show how global temperatures have changed every month since the start of the industrial revolution and 2021.
Podcasts
Carbon & Climate
‘Comedy can say the elephant in the room’: Why climate action needs a sense of humour
Climate comedian Stuart Goldsmith tells the EB Podcast why jokes might be the most powerful tools for solving sustainability problems.
Food & Agriculture
‘I want others to own sustainability too – but letting go is hard’: Golden Agri CSO Anita Neville
Unless sustainability heads allow other functions to lead ESG, it will never be fully integrated into a business, the CSO of the world's second-largest palm oil company tells the EB Podcast. But in doing so, how confident can they be that the business will stay on the right path?
The head of waste management non-profit Ocean Recovery Alliance tells the EB Podcast that recycled content mandates will drive the circular economy better than caps on virgin plastic production. Brands should be pressured more than petrochemical producers to phase out unnecessary plastics, he says.
A new report predicts Hong Kong could lose one quarter of its wildlife to new developments. WWF Hong Kong conservation head Dr Bosco Chan and Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden's Dr Stephan Gale tell the EB Podcast that developers must build in ways that protect nature and bolster climate resilience.
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