Asia
North Korea set to sign Paris climate deal
Pyongyang neglected to submit UN climate pledge, but will formally back agreement at 22 April ceremony
Vietnamese celebrities oppose coal plants in striking photo campaign
PICTURES: Popular artists don gas masks in posters, warning: ‘Don’t let coal pollution destroy your life’
For Myanmar, temptation of cheap coal ‘hard to ignore’
NEWS: Big expansion of coal power on track as Aung San Suu Kyi forms first civilian-led government in over 50 years
India ramps up fossil fuel spend amid welfare cuts
NEWS: Delhi considers axing food subsidies for the poor, but continues to pay almost US$200 billion in subsidies for coal, oil and gas
UN: China, India driving new clean energy investments
NEWS: Further policy interventions required, say authors of UN report, if world is to move away from oil, gas, coal and embrace low emission future
Pakistan unveils plan to tackle looming water crisis
NEWS: As global warming, population growth and wastefulness strain water resources, Islamabad boosts reservoirs and irrigation
Loaded coal barge sinks in Sundarbans mangroves
NEWS: Fourth wreck in two years raises fresh concerns about environmental impact of proposed Rampal coal plant in Bangladesh
Fears of an Asian coal surge are overblown – study
NEWS: Dirty power plants planned in China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia are unlikely to all be built, says think tank ECIU
UN envoy warns of environmental activist murder ‘epidemic’
NEWS: Expert on indigenous rights demands consumers boycott ‘blood-tainted’ products from land grabs amid weak state response
Philippines touts gas, renewables as answer to energy demand
NEWS: Energy department says it is looking for alternatives to coal, but activists fear government will push ahead with fossil intensive investments
Japan fleshes out Paris climate change plan
NEWS: Tokyo government says emission cutting strategy will be approved by May, but cuts likely to hinge on future of 40 planned coal power plants
100 ‘fire-free villages’ take on Indonesia’s haze hazard
NEWS: After 2015’s devastating fire season, local authorities in South Sumatra are determined to end slash-and-burn and restore peatland
View from Bangladesh: What next for the UN climate talks?
COMMENT: Inevitable losses of human lives, ecosystems and damage to infrastructure raises pressure on countries to agree a tougher climate compensation scheme
Major cities threatened by rapid sea level rise, new reports find
NEWS: Faster than ever sea level rise puts densely populated coastal regions increasingly at risk by 2100, as two studies reveal past and future sea level projections
Southeast Asian crops suffer as rains fail
NEWS: Unusual weather patterns in recent years have caused drought and severely damaged crops in what are some of the world’s most fertile areas
Yeb Sano: Ex-diplomat puts fossil fuel majors on notice
INTERVIEW: Newly appointed head of Greenpeace Southeast Asia has Chevron, Exxon, BP in his sights, backing an unprecedented human rights inquiry
Nepal targets 80% renewables as fuel blockade bites
NEWS: Landlocked nation plans hydropower and solar rollout in belated submission to UN climate deal, citing energy security concerns
Pacific trade deal bad news for climate, say activists
NEWS: NGOs warn Trans-Pacific Partnership could undermine Paris climate pact; Obama says it observes strongest environmental safeguards in history
Kyte: Universal energy access possible by early 2020s
NEWS: Sustainable Energy 4 All chief says major strides in clean energy, efficiency and finance mean target of powering entire planet is closer than ever
Vietnam to phase out coal, invest in gas and renewables
NEWS: Prime minister says government will review plans for new coal power plants, indicating country could shift towards lower emission gas and renewables