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Extreme weather

Extreme weather
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Extreme weather. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The Singapore Flyer and commercial buildings are shrouded in haze at the Marina Bay area in Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesia’s Prabowo mulls labelling wildfires as ‘ecological terrorism’

Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with the hazardous haze also affecting neighbours Singapore and Malaysia.

Food and agriculture

Risk of unrest in Asia as Iran war, El Nino threaten food supplies

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Indonesia

How wildfires are threatening Indonesia’s economy and carbon market

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Hong Kong weather

Opinion | A better heat stress warning system is still no substitute for policy

We need to start discussing when work may need to stop, who should be compensated when it does and how the cost of adaptation can be shared.

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Construction workers feel the heat in To Kwa Wan on August 10. Photo: Sam Tsang
India

Himalayan ‘glacier bankruptcy’ threatens water security for 2 billion in Asia

Glacier mass loss is causing the region to approach ‘peak water’, the point when river flows stop rising and start declining.

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Asean

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

Asean was going to eliminate transboundary haze by 2020. What happened?

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Climate change

August was hottest month ever recorded globally, scientists say

UN warns of ‘spiralling price’ of fossil fuels after Earth’s record-shattering summer temperatures.

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The sunrise on Glastonbury Tor during extreme hot weather in Britain in August. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesia’s wildfire emissions surge to world’s highest, data shows

The country is battling what authorities say is its most intense wildfire season in 11 years.

Indonesia

More schools close in Indonesia as haze worsens

Schools in Palembang switch to remote learning as haze from forest and peatland fires pushes air pollution to unhealthy levels.

Americas and the Caribbean

New Panama Canal chief says El Nino could force further transit cuts

Daily vessel limit may be lowered to 29 as falling reservoir levels strain key shipping route.

Ships transiting the Panama Canal, as a lack of rainfall linked to El Nino affects the water levels. Photo: Reuters
China food security

A potential food crisis threatens the world, but impact on China may be limited

El Nino fears and disruptions to Ukraine’s grain exports are driving up global crop prices, but China’s robust supplies temper the impact.

A harvester operates in a corn field in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Woman found dead in submerged car in Japan amid record rainfall

Authorities warn of landslides after more than 480mm of rain fell on Niijima Island, the largest amount since local records began.

2026 China-Nepal flash floods

Video | Foreign media allowed in China’s Gyirong Port for first time since disaster

993 pieces of personal belongings have been recovered by Chinese authorities following the Nepal-Tibet glacier collapse, which unleashed a flow of ice, water, rocks and mud that travelled 22km (14 miles) in 7 minutes.

Hong Kong workers/labour rights

Hong Kong open to classifying heatstroke as an occupational disease: labour chief

Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui also says revamped heat warning system would have triggered stronger alerts on two exceptionally hot days in August.

A worker on duty at a construction site at Central. Hong Kong is studying the performance of a revamped heat warning system, the labour chief has said. Photo: Sam Tsang
Climate change

Opinion | Is air conditioning Hong Kong’s only weapon against hotter summers?

In Hong Kong, air conditioning is ubiquitous but conventional models harm the environment. More responsible solutions are needed.

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Illustration: Mario Rivera
Hong Kong environmental issues

Editorial | As Hong Kong feels the heat, it needs a robust climate resilience strategy

Beyond alerts for extreme weather, the city needs a system that protects workers, older people, lower-income households and other vulnerable groups.

Asean

Southeast Asia’s extreme heat exposes holes in safety net for outdoor workers

Many Southeast Asian cities lack adequate heat risk assessments, and have weak regulations protecting outdoor workers, a report says.

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Indonesia

Orangutan in Indonesia dies after exposure to haze fires, abnormalities in lungs

The 20-year-old male orangutan was unable to stand and was struggling to breathe when a joint team of rescuers found him.

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An orangutan named Sampurna being treated during a rescue operation at a palm-oil plantation near an area affected by wildfires, in Kuala Satong village, Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Manila’s ‘acutely unhealthy’ air due to Indonesian haze spurs health warnings

The haze has led Quezon City to suspend classes in schools and health experts to urge residents to wear N95 masks outdoors.

Nepal

Nepal floods: meet the principal whose quick thinking saved 900 students

More than 4,400 remain missing in Nepal and China after the devastating flash floods, unleashed after a glacial collapse in the Himalayas.

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The Philippines

Marcos’ singing clip strikes wrong chord in flood-hit Philippines

Observers say the public backlash was directed at Marcos’ ‘perceived insensitivity’ in light of the floods and related corruption scandal.

People wade through a flooded street after heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon in Pampanga, the Philippines, on Monday. Photo: AFP
China food security

China passes first law on farmland protection and improvement

Law orders provincial-level governments to ensure that total amount of arable land does not decrease.

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Wheat grows under starry sky in Heilongjiang province. Photo: Xinhua
South China Sea

Hong Kong keeps T1 signal in force as storm edges closer to Guangdong coast

Hong Kong Observatory says unless Saudel intensifies significantly, chance of strong winds generally over Hong Kong is not high.

Malaysia

Malaysia’s air quality turns hazardous as Indonesian wildfires burn

Pollution index hits 476 near the border, forcing school closures and triggering emergency cloud-seeding plans in Sarawak.

Nepal

Nepal floods: could foreign rescue teams have been brought in earlier?

In the immediate aftermath of the floods, the government refused overseas help, only to reverse its decision days later.

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A rescuer helps a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on Thursday in Trishuli, Nepal. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
China manufacturing

China’s factory activity improves in August, but stays in contraction

The PMI index was up last month to 49.8 from 49.2 in July, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.

A worker assembles a carbon fibre bicycle at a production workshop in China’s Shandong province. Photo: Xinhua
China exports

From air conditioners to taps, Europe’s climate extremes boost China sales

Chinese makers of low-flow taps, garden gear and insulated drinkware are seeing European orders surge as heatwaves and drought reshape demand.

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Nepal

US families hold out hope for relatives lost in Nepal floods

About 90 Americans are among those unaccounted for, according to the US State Department.

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