asia

Asia Warming at Twice the Global Average: WMO Report

Asia Warming at Twice the Global Average: WMO Report

Asia is warming faster than the rest of the world, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report, released Monday, shows the continent is heating up at twice the global average rate, leading to devastating impacts for ecosystems, societies and economies across the […]

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    Philippine Oil Spill Threatens Recovering Mangrove Forests

    Philippine Oil Spill Threatens Recovering Mangrove Forests

    By Jun N. Aguirre An oil spill on July 3 threatens a mangrove forest on the Philippine island of Guimaras, an area only just recovering from the country’s largest spill in 2006. This latest spill stems from an explosion onboard a floating power barge in the 13-kilometer (8-mile) waterway between the city of Iloilo and […]

    Severe Floods in Japan Kill at Least 34 People

    Severe Floods in Japan Kill at Least 34 People

    Scores of people remained stranded in southern Japan on Sunday after heavy rain the day before caused deep flooding and mudslides that left at least 34 people confirmed or presumed dead. Floodwaters from the Kuma River inundated many houses, buildings and vehicles, causing people to climb onto roofs and wait for rescue. More than 40,000 […]

    How to Recognize Desertification and Drought Day

    How to Recognize Desertification and Drought Day

    By Sonya Diehn More than 2 billion hectares of previously productive land is degraded. For Desertification and Drought Day on June 17, DW spoke with Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). DW: What do you want people to know about this year’s desertification day? Ibrahim Thiaw: Despite COVID-19, […]

    What Are Asian Giant Hornets, and Are They Really Dangerous?

    What Are Asian Giant Hornets, and Are They Really Dangerous?

    By Akito Y Kawahara Editor’s note: According to recent press reports, two Asian giant hornets – a species not known to occur in North America – were found in northwest Washington state in late 2019, and a hornet colony was found and eliminated in British Columbia. Now scientists are trying to determine whether more of […]

    Endangered Tigers Face Growing Threats From an Asian Road-Building Boom

    Endangered Tigers Face Growing Threats From an Asian Road-Building Boom

    By Neil Carter Tigers are one of the world’s most iconic wild species, but today they are endangered throughout Asia. They once roamed across much of this region, but widespread habitat loss, prey depletion and poaching have reduced their numbers to only about 4,000 individuals. They live in small pockets of habitat across South and […]

    Did Illegal Wildlife Trade Cause Wild Tigers to Become Extinct in Laos?

    Did Illegal Wildlife Trade Cause Wild Tigers to Become Extinct in Laos?

    Are tigers extinct in Laos? That’s the conclusion of a detailed new study that found no evidence wild tigers still exist in the country. What researchers did find during a five-year camera survey of the biodiversity-rich Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area was evidence of snares — lots and lots of deadly snares, which are […]

    Journalists Reporting on the Environment Faced Increased Dangers in 2018

    Journalists Reporting on the Environment Faced Increased Dangers in 2018

    By Kaamil Ahmed A pair of “French spies” had infiltrated India by sea to commit a “treasonous conspiracy,” an Indian minister claimed in late November. In reality, they were two visiting journalists, and their mission was an investigation into allegations of illegal sand mining in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. They had merely tried […]

    Typhoons, Floods, Heat Waves Batter Asia

    Typhoons, Floods, Heat Waves Batter Asia

    From flash floods in Vietnam to a blistering heat wave in Japan, countries across Asia are suffering from extreme weather, CNN reported Sunday. The events come nearly two months into the continent’s annual rainy season that extends from June to November, according to The Straits Times. A 2016 study showed that typhoons in Asia had […]