Eco-Business

Cities: Possibilities 2024 closing plenary

The financing gap for infrastructure projects might have come under the spotlight recently, but experts at the Cities: Possibilities 2024 forum say the key barriers to building better cities are not money or the lack of technical solutions, but political cycles that reward short-termism.

The industry is "eating itself" as companies find that there is a hollowing out of sustainability talent with specialist knowledge in consultancy firms, said Paddy Balfour from recruiting firm Acre at the ReThink conference in Hong Kong.

An artist's impression of the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands in Hong Kong.

The Kau Yi Chau artificial islands project, proposed to ease the territory's housing crisis, endangers marine life and is not aligned with net zero goals, say non-governmental organisations. Developers say they will avoid environmentally sensitive areas.

Coal-fired power is still growing in China, but the latest statistics indicate that Beijing could have been telling local governments to go slow on the rubber stamping of new coal projects. The world’s biggest polluter also recently suspended its system for approving new steel plants.

Oleh Ada Carpenter

Oleh Siva Selan

Oleh Gabrielle See

Oleh Rhick Lars Albay

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But helping millions more women protect their livelihoods and their health in the face of unrelenting heat requires more funding. Oleh Jess Ayers

Eco-Business has launched new subscription plans for our community. We invite you to support our independent journalism and thought leadership initiatives to forge a sustainable Asia and beyond. Oleh Jessica Cheam

Two Indonesian girls hover over a laptop in a part in Sumenep, Madura, an island north east of Java

Indonesia's soaring post-pandemic digital economy is being powered mainly by coal. The archipelago needs to find ways to decouple rapid data centre growth from carbon emissions. Oleh Rafi Adis Subarna

Madhumitha Ardhanari, sustainability strategist and land reclamation researcher

In a speech at Singapore's climate rally, Madhumitha Ardhanari asked her audience to dream of a Singapore that thrives within planetary boundaries, is a better regional environmental neighbour, and reconsiders what progress means beyond economic growth. Oleh Madhumitha Ardhanari

Oleh Jessica Cheam

Oleh Neo Gim Huay

Oleh Katherine Dafforn

Oleh Jagan Shah

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Studio EB Our urban infrastructure is responsible for almost 40 per cent of global carbon emissions. Climate solutions need to include the biggest energy guzzlers, clean energy and retrofitting old buildings.

After two months of searching for sustainability solutions and a showdown between six finalists, the finale of The Liveability Challenge 2018 culminated in a proposal for biodegradable straws winning nearly a million dollars.

Welcoming 3,800 people this year, the carbon neutral, zero waste festival has grown six-fold since its first edition in 2015.

Air conditioner compressors occupy almost all the open space available on the wall of a building in Boat Quay, Singapore

No hot air here: Researchers from the National University of Singapore produce the first prototype of a new, environmentally friendly air conditioner in what could be a “quantum leap” in the 100-year old technology.

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Eyes are on whether the city’s plan to build the world’s “greenest highway” will take off. The Eco-Business Podcast speaks to Marwa Nahlawi from Diamond Developers, the real estate developer behind Dubai's "Sustainable City" brand, which adopts a similar green spine concept.

Can the hotels sector, traditionally resource-intensive and wasteful, reinvent itself and go green? Eco-Business asks two hospitality executives about balancing post-Covid recovery, and if luxury can be made compatible with sustainability.

Studio EB The built environment's sprawling carbon footprint can be reined in by giving old buildings a 'climate makeover' as cities grow. The Eco-Business Podcast talks to Vinod Jethani about the benefits and challenges of retrofitting old buildings.

Biophobia in the city podcast with Dr Denise Dillon.

Eco-Business talks to environmental psychologist Dr Denise Dillon about Singapore's uncomfortable relationship with nature, whether loving nature is essential for conservation, and why climate anxiety might actually be a good thing.

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