Asia
ADB set to launch first coal early retirement scheme in Indonesia
A finance tool to shut down Asian coal plants up to a decade early will swing into action “soon”, says Asian Development Bank climate envoy
Vietnamese climate activist jailed in ‘unjust’ government crackdown
Five environmentalists have been jailed in the last two years, while the government works on a clean energy partnership with rich nations
Southeast Asia must not let Japan hijack its energy transition
Japan is trying to push fossil fuel-based technologies on the region like gas, fossil hydrogen, carbon capture and so-called clean coal
Cooking the books: cookstove offsets produce millions of fake emission cuts
Projects in India linked to Enking, the self-proclaimed world’s largest carbon credits producer, have vastly overestimated climate benefits
Money row delays green plan – Climate Weekly
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Indonesia falls short on peatland restoration, risking destructive fire season
Data from the Indonesian government suggests efforts to restore peatlands, a key part of the country’s climate strategy, do not match government claims.
US-China talks thaw in heatwave – Climate Weekly
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Confusion surrounds China’s pledged climate finance towards the Global South
China is not obligated to provide financial aid but has pledged to “make available’ $3.1bn to other developing countries
“Green” finance bankrolls forest destruction in Indonesia
Green funds have been spent cutting down trees for biomass to make electricity, decimating the traditional food sources of indigenous people
FSC’s rehab scheme for forest destroyers under fire after fresh allegations
Indonesian pulp and paper giants are trying to rehabilitate themselves with the FSC despite continued accusations of deforestation in their supply chains
Vietnamese anti-coal campaigner freed early from prison
Nguy Thi Khanh has been released a few months early from prison but two of her fellow campaigners remain in jail on tax evasion charges
Nations fight to be called climate vulnerable in IPCC report
Being recognised as partiuclarly vulnerable can help countries access climate finance and plan adaptation strategies
Loss and damage committee ready to start talks following Asian nominations
Six Asian countries will share two seats on the committee due to start work on establishing a fund for climate victims
Lawyers and activists build pressure on Korean court to rule on climate
Pressure is building on South Korea’s constitutional court to make a key climate change judgment, as the government prepares to publish its first carbon neutrality plan
Governments sworn to secrecy on ‘$20bn’ for Indonesia’s energy transition
They won’t reveal who is paying what or how it will be spent and one bank said their $1bn contribution is just something they’re “willing to consider”
Japan’s ‘green transformation’ would derail the energy transition in Asia
Japan plans to prolong fossil fuels across Southeast Asia, by promoting carbon capture, gas and the co-firing of ammonia at coal power plants.
UN budget cuts hindered response to Pakistan’s extreme floods
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had only seven staff in Islamabad to assess the needs, down from 35 five years earlier
China warns of more floods and heatwaves in 2023
Last year was marked by a record-breaking heatwave and China’s weather agency has warned of more this year, as the climate crisis escalates
Taiwan’s failure to clean up industry endangers its net zero pledge
Comment: Taiwan’s industry is responsible for more than half of its emissions but the government’s new climate policies have no specific plan to tackle them.
Azerbaijan weaponises conservation law in conflict with Armenia
Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of deforesting the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, but satellite data tells a different story