Environment and natural resources
How Mekong River is turning into a new flashpoint in Indo-Pacific
For several years, US politicians have adopted the Japanese slogan of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” calling for international law to apply over disputes in the South China Sea, where China is accused of acting aggressively. Earlier this month, during the East Asia Summit foreign ministers’ ...
David Hutt
Crumbling under mountains of waste
Infectious waste is starting to pile up across the country as the Covid-19 pandemic continues — most notably in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, where the amount of waste is quickly exceeding the capacity of local incinerators. Nevertheless, the Department of Health assured that it has a plan ...
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
Addressing Climate Change in the Mekong-Ganges Region
ollowing the 11th Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) meeting on July 21, the foreign ministers of the MGC’s six member countries (Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam) agreed on the need to increase cooperation on sustainable water resource management. The ministers pledged to enhance technical cooperation ...
Lohita Solanki
EU's new carbon scheme — how will it affect trade with ASEAN?
The European Commission on July 14 adopted a long-planned proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a de facto levy on imported products that do not conform to the EU’s own rules on carbon emissions. As Brussels rushes ahead with its climate action, it is concerned ...
David Hutt
Plastic waste imports are 'unwanted'
More than 100 environmental groups have called on the government to prohibit the import of plastic waste and instead encourage the use of domestic plastic waste for recycling as a way to safeguard the environment and promote the circular economy. The network of 107 civil society ...
POST REPORTERS
New discovery gives world’s most endangered turtle a fighting chance
Like many turtle species, Swinhoe’s softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) has for centuries held special cultural significance in Vietnam. For the people of the country, the Hoan Kiem turtle, as it is known locally, is a symbol of Vietnam’s independence and prosperity. According to the legend passed ...
Hoang Bich Thuy, Nguyen Dinh Thang
South East Asia – Mekong River Levels Rise After 40% Higher Rainfall
Recorded water levels in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) saw significant increases during the last seven days as a result of heavy rainfall and sudden water releases from dams, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) reported. However, as of 28 July 2021, river levels across all ...
RICHARD DAVIES
Bad news for Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
The release of recent research from the Netherlands adds an additional insight into what is happening in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the country’s all-important food producing region that contributes some fifty per cent to its agricultural GDP. In a stark conclusion the research cites 2050 as the Tipping ...
MILTON OSBORNE
Guardians of Nature: Bold and brave women rangers of Cambodia stand tall
As Cambodia marks World Ranger Day on July 31, Khmer Times highlights a handful of bold brave, and resilient women rangers who are standing alongside men to conserve and protect the wildlife and natural resources of the protected forest. Over the years, women have navigated from ...
Sen David
Is Cambodia’s thirst for sand putting communities and the Mekong at risk?
Sophea Soung has been farming on Boeung Tompoun, one of the few remaining lakes in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, since 2009. Every day, her family rises with the sun to float through verdant waters on a slender boat and harvest vegetables, which they then transport ...
Marta Kasztelan, Thomas Cristofoletti