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Environment

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Green living
Environment
Latest news and updates about issues impacting the global environment, including climate change, recycling, pollution and sustainable living.
A worker inspects semiconductor chips at a chip packaging company in Malaysia. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

‘Silicon Malaysia’ pulls billions in investment. So why are workers struggling?

Despite headline-grabbing investments, factory workers in Kulim struggle to make ends meet as the cost of rent and other essentials surges.

Science

Could dinosaurs walk on massive glaciers? Oyster fossil offers clue

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Malaysia

Malaysia grapples with human-nature conflict after elephant calf’s road death

United States

US health chief takes family swimming in creek used for sewer run-off

Despite explicit warnings of ‘faecal bacteria’, the US health and human services secretary took a Mother’s Day dip in the banned waterway.

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US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jnr speaks at the White House on May 5. Photo: CNP/Zuma Press/TNS
Climate change

Letters | Asia must focus on energy transition and the jobs it offers

Readers discuss the opportunities available in the clean energy sector, the best next steps to connect Hong Kong’s primary care providers with the public, and how the city’s restaurants can thrive in the digital era.

Hong Kong environmental issues

Letters | Single-use alternatives to plastic distract from real solutions

Readers discuss the dangers of quick fixes to plastic pollution, the importance of understanding soft power, and the growing urgency of the climate crisis.

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Malaysia

Mother’s Day heartbreak for Malaysian elephant mourning calf in viral video

Distressing footage shows the mother desperately trying to move the lorry that crushed her baby on a Malaysian highway.

A still from a video circulated on social media shows the mother elephant trying to free her calf after it was hit by a lorry on Malaysia’s East-West Highway on Sunday. Photo: Facebook
Nepal

‘Green menstruation’: Nepal’s activists tackle pad pollution for women’s health

A factory in Nepal is challenging traditional views on menstruation by educating the public about its biodegradable menstrual pads.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, nickel miners warn of mass lay-offs as royalty rise hits profits

The Indonesian government’s bid to boost state revenue and fund projects with higher mining royalties is being met with an industry backlash.

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Tourism

He found the perfect wave in the Philippines. Then he vanished

American drug smuggler John Michael Boyum was one of the first to surf Siargao’s Cloud 9 in the late 1980s. His story helped put the Philippine island on the map.

Cloud 9 hosts a World Surf League competition in October 2024. Photo: courtesy World Surf League
Science

Chinese scientists unlock gene secret at root of drought-tolerant rice

Lead author Zhong Liyuan says it would take 8-10 years to produce a stable and widely adoptable rice variety through crossbreeding.

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In China, where a rice research team says it found the genetic answer to deeper roots and better drought tolerance, rice production accounts for 70 per cent of agricultural water consumption and half of national water consumption. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Africa

Belgian teenagers face US$7,700 fine or 1-year jail over ants in Kenya

Authorities said the ants were destined for European and Asian markets in an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species.

TV shows and streaming video

Ocean with David Attenborough is a breathtaking feast for the senses

Attenborough’s new documentary, releasing in cinemas and on streaming services, celebrates the oceans as the cradle of all life on Earth.

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Trending in China

‘Desert Prince’ combats desertification in China by planting trees in arid regions

Wang Jin’s unique appearance, characterised by mismatched eyes – one dark, the other cloudy grey – adds to his story.

A man in China who has been dubbed “Desert Prince” combats desertification in the country by planting trees in arid regions. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
US-China relations

Opinion | Trump’s executive order to boost US deep-sea mining will force China to act

Beijing will continue to sharpen its technological edge, support multilateral governance and may set up maritime joint patrols to monitor the US.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Hong Kong transport

Which Hong Kong districts have the most quick chargers for electric vehicles?

Uneven distribution of chargers with output power of between 20 and 99 kilowatts raises concerns about whether supply sufficient to support development goals.

Indonesia

Indonesian clove farmers’ hopes wither as climate change hits hard

Erratic rainfall is affecting yields as flowers can be harvested only in a small window that depends heavily on the weather.

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Japan

Will Japan’s scorching summers put an end to outdoor youth sports?

A study warns that youth sports may become unsafe due to heat unless greenhouse gases are reduced. Japan has seen 100 heat-related child deaths in the past 20 years.

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Children play with water in Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, amid scorching summer heat. Rising temperatures in Japan may halt outdoor children’s sports by 2060, experts say. Photo: Kyodo
India

Indians weather the heat with smartwatches and cool roofs

Temperatures in cities like Ahmedabad are nearing the threshold beyond which exposure for more than a few hours can be fatal.

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Wellness

DEHP, chemical in everyday plastic items, linked to 356,000 deaths a year

Phthalate chemical in plastic, food containers, pipes and sprays contributed to 13% of global deaths from heart disease in 2018, study finds.

Architecture and design

Are our sustainability efforts actually worth it?

‘Sustainability’ was always going to be a tall ask. But how about ‘Slightly Less Unsustainable – Really, Promise’?

Who among us does not have at least 26 bags-for-life? Photo: Shutterstock
History

Then & Now | Trash talk: Hong Kong’s surprising history of recycling

Believe it or not, Hong Kong was better at recycling before ‘sustainability’ became a buzzword.

Old newspapers are gathered in Kowloon’s Oi Man Estate during a government collection scheme in 1990. Photo: SCMP Archives
Tourism

Why cruise lines face near impossible sustainability goal

Cruise companies are heeding the call to be more sustainable but critics have a point: much more needs to be done.

China energy security

China amps up nuclear ambitions with 10 new reactor approvals

China’s third-generation Hualong One reactors will be among those built in some coastal provinces, and each can meet the energy demands of 1 million people.

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The Philippines

Philippines’ Bulusan Volcano erupts, spewing ash 4.5km high

Before the eruption early on Monday morning, researchers had recorded 53 volcanic earthquakes over a 24-hour period.

A still from a social media video shows Mount Bulusan in the Philippines erupting early on Monday morning. Photo: Facebook/Richard.Cortez2
Japan

The world’s smallest park is in Japan and it only has space for 1 person

Loved locally for years, a tiny patch of grass and a lone stool in Nagaizumi town has scooped the title of world’s smallest park.

A still from a Guinness World Records social media video shows the world’s smallest park in Nagaizumi, Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture. Photo: X/GWR
US-China trade war

Chinese media calls out Trump over ‘false’ ocean pollution accusations

Widely shared report tackles the US president head-on to counter claims that China dumped waste.

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Architecture and design

In Hong Kong, Editecture creates sustainable designs for brands like L’Occitane

‘Turning waste to wonder’ is the motto driving design firm Editecture’s sustainability projects – here’s how they give plastics new purpose.

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