Thirteen countries submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions to the UN – including Singapore, the only Asian nation to do so – while the majority of Paris Agreement signatories missed a 10 February deadline. Countries could be holding back in light of uncertainties in a post-Trump world, say observers.
With clean energy financing doubling that of fossil fuels in 2024, Simon Stiell calls it a "money-making opportunity" that is "too big to ignore". Meanwhile, only 12 nations have submitted new climate plans ahead of the 10 Feb deadline.
Indonesia is considering withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, arguing it is unfair for developing nations to comply when a major polluter like the US has pulled out, again.
Despite their huge potential as blue carbon sinks, the majority are under threat from the cultivation of palm oil, rice and aquaculture at current carbon prices, on top of cyclones and sea-level rise over the next century, researchers warn.
Public development banks must spearhead a systemic overhaul of global finance to ensure climate funding reaches the most vulnerable and accelerates the green transition.
Oleh
Serge Ekué dan
Javier Díaz Fajardo
The Federal Reserve is perhaps the most significant independent economic actor in the US. Yet it has surrendered to Trump – the Fed Board withdrew from a global network that brought together central banks to improve climate risk management.
Oleh
Stuart P.M. Mackintosh
The financing gap is huge, but time is short. Given the inadequacy of a promised new climate finance goal, Southeast Asia should look beyond UN-led conferences to crowd in other sources of capital to tackle the climate crisis.
Oleh
Prapimphan Chiengkul
The US federal policy pendulum is swinging away from facts, reason and basic human decency with Trump re-entering the White House. But it will swing back if city mayors and local leaders insist on effective climate governance.
Oleh
Gernot Wagner
There is consensus that coal needs to be retired early in Asia, but the mechanisms for financing the phase-out are not clear. This mini-documentary examines how transition credits work and whether they can fund Southeast Asia's equitable switch to clean power.
Studio EB
From sponge cities to coastal forests, Asia is seeking ways to work with nature and prepare for the risks in a warmer-than-expected future. This Eco-Business video looks at what else cities need to do to strengthen climate resilience.
Rich nations need to shift investments into renewables instead, they say. The civic space for demonstrations at this year's climate summit, held in Egypt, is more restricted than the Scotland event last year.
Trump 2.0 may prove to be a "bump in the road" for climate action, but banks and investors in Asia see growth and opportunity in the region for decarbonisation as climate risks grow.
Entrepreneur Steve Melhuish tells the EB Podcast where the biggest opportunities to reduce emissions and make money are in Southeast Asia, and why finding the right economic incentives is critical for climate tech startups.
Asia lags the world in natural catastrophe protection. Part of the problem could be counting extreme weather losses only after they happen, industry insiders tell the Eco-Business podcast.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas assistant governor tells the Eco-Business Podcast about the regulator’s maiden sustainability report that features an empirical study of climate impacts on banks as well as the nation’s first taxonomy.