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Climate change diplomacy

Greenpeace activists hang a banner that reads ‘COP 16 Action for Nature’, in Cali, Colombia. Photo: AFP

UN chief seeks ‘significant’ funding at biodiversity summit to save nature

Environmental delegates are gathering in Colombia for the two-week United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or Cop16.

Record low river flows in 2023 threaten global water supplies, UN warns

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Harris vs. Trump: Asia counts the cost of climate in US presidential polls

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US-China progress sparks hope for Cop29, Azerbaijan says

‘Positive signals’ after talks between the two superpowers has raised hopes for a breakthrough, the host country’s chief negotiator says.

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While last year’s Cop28 summit in UAE struck a landmark deal to phase out fossil fuels, Cop29 is charged with putting a price tag on how much developing nations will need to weather the mounting impacts of climate change. Photo: AP

Swiss voters reject plan to better protect the country’s biodiversity

Citizens voted against an initiative to expand the protection of nature reserves, fearing economic development would suffer.

Editorial | China’s storm response a sign of progress in relations with Vietnam

China’s efforts to help Vietnam recover from Yagi are a proactive move that hopefully will continue. Both sides should seize the opportunity.

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Opinion | Can China strengthen climate defences before it’s too late?

While China has prioritised climate adaptation, inadequate investment, fragmented policies and poor coordination between municipalities risk holding back progress.

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A villager sits on an inflatable boat with rescuers in a flooded part of Nanping, Fujian province, on June 16, after storms caused sever flooding. Photo: CNS/AFP

China, US vow to work together on climate issues, but election may alter path

US climate envoy Podesta says both sides still have differences on issues such as climate finance and carbon emissions.

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China-US climate talks to seek areas of ‘practical cooperation’

Climate envoys John Podesta and Liu Zhenmin are expected to discuss global emissions and climate-related funding for less wealthy nations.

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Opinion | How China’s middle class is creating a ‘green gold’ rush in Africa

Trade between China, Africa and the West is yielding mutually beneficial results, and Greater Bay Area cities could have a key role to play.

Employees pack fresh avocados into boxes at a factory in Limuru, Kenya, on August 2, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

Opinion | Podesta’s China trip a chance for Biden to seal his climate legacy

For true leadership from the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters to be possible, the current bilateral dynamics need a reset.

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US President Joe Biden arrives to speak on his administration’s climate change initiative, at the White House in Washington on November 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters

China’s new green targets show how it will power on amid West’s trade barriers

For the first time, Beijing puts a US$2 trillion price point on the proposed scale of China’s energy-conservation and environmental-protection industry by 2030.

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China sends international crew to explore underwater mountains in submersible

Foreign scientists will get a close look at the sprawling Magellan Seamounts on board the Jiaolong, which can dive up to 7,000 metres.

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Opinion | The world’s seabed authority needs reform that puts the planet first

The election of a new chief brings hope of more consensus before governments embark on a deep-sea mining spree harmful to ecosystems.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens

Opinion | Asia’s warming oceans must be saved from a devastating doom spiral

Warming waters threaten catastrophe for Asia’s food supply, economy, climate and carbon sinks. Only a global effort can reverse this.

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Screen capture of SCMP video of corals and livelihoods under threat in Gulf of Thailand due to soaring water surface temperatures, which reached record highs in the Gulf of Thailand last month amid a regional heatwave. https://www.scmp.com/video/environment/3265277/global-boiling-threatening-corals-and-livelihoods-gulf-thailand?utm_source=scmp&utm_medium=qr&utm_content=print&utm_campaign=editorial-print-qr

Indonesia’s sea nomads head to land as low fish stocks, technology shift habits

The Bajau tribe of fishermen’s unique way of life has all but died out, as temperatures rise, fish migration and mating patterns change, corals are bleached, and the food chain changes.

G20 pledges to work together to tax ultra-rich

The thorny topic of tackling tax-dodging billionaires dominated the two-day meeting of finance ministers in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro.

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US climate envoy to go to China as talks progress on greenhouse gas cuts

John Podesta says both nations are focusing on nitrous oxide, which is widely used in industry and has 300 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.

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Smoke rises from a coal-powered power station in Datong, Shanxi province. The US climate envoy John Podesta said talks with China on greenhouse gases are advancing. Photo: AFP

PetroChina joins world’s top producers in industry vow to reach net zero by 2050

China’s largest oil and gas producer has joined the Oil & Gas Decarbonisation Charter, a pledge signed by more than 50 firms to reach net zero by 2050.

Letters | How the UN can spark corporate action on sustainable development goals

Readers discuss the need for clarity on what is expected of businesses in relation to the SDGs, and Chinese women’s indomitable spirit in the face of life’s challenges.

China’s carbon neutral goal depends on unified power market, energy expert says

China is expected to continue liberalising its electricity market, says Christian Romig of BCG. The pace of renewable energy addition will speed up the process, he adds.

Christian Romig (left), associate director at Boston Consulting Group, and Song Xudan, senior executive vice-president of EDF China, at the China Conference on Thursday. Photo: May Tse

Exclusive | Brazil, hosting G20 in November, seeks ‘simpler, objective’ final declaration

Rio de Janeiro city summit coordinator says Brazil’s objective is a statement ‘structured differently than in previous years’ that can avoid disputes among member nations.

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When Brazil hosts the G20 leaders’ summit in November, an organiser said, one objective would be to craft a final statement that is shorter and less controversial. Photo: Rio G20

Open questions | 3 mega economic trends for China and the world, EU economist says

European economist Rolf Strauch touches on climate change, demographic, geoeconomic fragmentation and financial challenges for the global economy.

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Opinion | Urgent action needed to save Hindu Kush Himalaya, world’s ‘water tower’

Low snow levels and an alarming glacial melt rate amid an Asian heatwave underline the need for countries to collaborate in climate action.

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‘Protectionism’: China slams EU tariff hikes, calls for talks to resolve EV row

Extra EU duties on Chinese EVs ‘not conducive to the EU’s green transformation’, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang tells climate talks in Brussels.

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Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang with Maros Sefcovic, European Commission executive vice-president, in Brussels on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Top Chinese official to visit EU days after EV tariffs raise trade war risk

Vice-premier Ding Xuexiang will travel to Brussels next week as Beijing pledges to ‘deepen’ cooperation on the environment.

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The EU has hit Chinese electric vehicles with extra tarrifs that range from 17.4 per cent to 38.1 per cent. Photo: AFP

Opinion | How Asia’s demand for air con threatens its climate change goals

Heatwaves across Asia are driving demand for air conditioners, which are both a way to ease the effects of heat and a contributor to climate change. As governments test out solutions, energy flexibility and incentives for consumers to shift power use to off-peak hours offer a promising way forward.

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China aims for national corporate ESG disclosure standard by 2030

China aims to establish a national standard for corporate sustainability disclosure by 2030 as part of efforts to improve economic sustainability, tackle climate change and catch up with its global peers when it comes to environmental, social and governance reporting.

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Climate change diplomacy
Latest news and analysis about how different governments engage with each other over environmental policies, including competition, collaboration and negotiations.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
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