Showing 1 - 10 of 24
Venice suffers from 'beauty curse'
Oped, Published on 10/09/2024
» Countries with great wealth or natural abundance often fall victim to their own blessings. Economists have long known that resource-rich countries can get stuck in cycles of slow economic growth, intense environmental degradation, and weak democratic institutions. But places endowed with a unique artistic and architectural heritage also can suffer from this "resource curse". Breathtaking monuments from a storied past can generate economic rents and sectoral distortions, not unlike those created by large reserves of fossil fuels and precious minerals.
Tackle plastic waste now
Oped, Editorial, Published on 07/09/2024
» The death of a pregnant whale from consuming plastic waste has brought tears to many animal lovers' eyes and sparked anger over the government's failure to manage plastic pollution.
The transition to green energy that wasn't
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 06/09/2024
» Despite much hype, the much-vaunted green energy transition away from fossil fuels isn't happening. Achieving a meaningful shift with current policies turns out to be unaffordably costly. We need to drastically change policy direction.
Journalists shouldn't be neutral on climate change
Oped, Published on 30/08/2024
» Last year was the hottest summer on record in the Northern Hemisphere. Earth's ocean surfaces were warmer in the first month of 2024 than any previously recorded January. And by the end of this year, global climate-related deaths since 2000 could exceed 4 million people, according to one estimate.
Junk carbon offset addiction 'killing the planet'
News, Published on 29/08/2024
» Before This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things was a Taylor Swift song, it was a punch line to a Paula Poundstone joke from the 1980s about how, as a kid, she once knocked a Flintstones glass off a table, making her mother say, "That's why we can't have nice things."
Shinawatras must shed old patterns
Editorial, Published on 25/08/2024
» Inarguably, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's first public address since his return from self-imposed exile has become the talk of the town, albeit not in the most flattering way.
Net-zero finance must be equitable
Oped, Published on 13/08/2024
» The Asia and the Pacific region stand at a critical juncture, positioned both as a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and a potential leader in transformative climate action. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), alongside our member countries, is steering the region towards a sustainable future through support for a just transition. Our vision aims to reorient economic and social frameworks to foster low-carbon, climate-resilient growth that enhances prosperity and inclusion.
When climate commitments fall short
News, Rapeepat Ingkasit, Published on 24/07/2024
» By early next year, Thailand and other countries are expected to update national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The Paris Agreement mandates that nations submit new NDCs every five years, with each round more ambitious than the last. These NDCs are essential for countries to collectively tackle the global climate crisis.
Climate fight needs a better way forward
Oped, Published on 23/07/2024
» Starting in the 1990s, climate change has become a fixation for politicians and elites in rich countries. It emerged as the world had just seen the end of the Cold War. In the capitals of Europe in particular, it felt like most of the planet’s big problems were fixed, so climate change was the final frontier.
Prepare for a future of heat waves
Oped, Published on 23/07/2024
» People across Asia have eagerly awaited the end of heat-wave season, which now appears to be drawing to a close. In my home country, the Philippines, the first typhoon of the year arrived in late May, lowering temperatures that had climbed to nearly 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit). Over the previous few months, the record-breaking heat led to school closures, a spike in emergency room visits, reduced productivity, and a return to remote work.