Subel Bhandari
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Covers:
current affairs, geopolitics, politics, human interest, conflict, breaking news, economy, health, environment, energy, security, media, arts and culture, military, religion, Af-Pak, Oceania.
reporter/editor in Switzerland; southeast asia (2020-24) oceania (2015-20), afghanistan-pakistan (2010-15), earlier india & nepal; ex- afp, icg, dpa, rfa, etc.
Articles by Subel Bhandari
James Harrison, blood donor whose rare plasma saved millions of babies, dead at 88
Skip to main content You have permission to edit this image. School and Business Closings View All Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00 Duration 0:00 Remaining Time -0:00 Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. Currently in Fort Wayne 38°F Cloudy 39°F / 23°F 5 PM 39°F 6 PM 39°F 7 PM 38°F 8 PM 40°F 9 PM 39°F
In Southeast Asia, protecting the environment is its own hazard
In September, environmentalists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano planned to take a nighttime bus ride to Orion village along Manila Bay in the Philippines to protest construction threatening to displace local residents. As Castro and Tamano prepared to board, a military SUV raced up from behind and a half a dozen masked men jumped out to seize the pair. The women, who are around 5 feet tall and in their early 20s, cried for help and tried to fight back.
India is home to at least 718 snow leopards: survey
India’s inaugural survey on snow leopards has unveiled a population of 718 individuals within its borders, signaling hope for the species despite threats from poaching, climate change, infrastructure development and the degradation of their high-altitude habitats.
Explainer: Southeast Asia explores little-known carbon credit scheme
UPDATED at 06:50 A.M. ET on 01-31-2024 In Bangkok, known for its heavy traffic, pollution, and aging buses, a major Thai public limited firm Energy Absolute, or EA, is transforming public transport through the Bangkok E-Bus program. This groundbreaking initiative aims to replace old diesel buses with eco-friendly electric models, generating carbon credits for sale. Since 2022, EA has already deployed 3,000 such buses, marking a significant environmental leap in the city.
Clean energy leads charge in China’s 2023 economic growth
China’s clean energy sector saw an unprecedented surge in 2023, injecting a staggering 11.4 trillion yuan (US$1.6 trillion), almost a third more than the previous year, into the nation’s economy, new analysis by a nonprofit think tank has shown. This green energy boom accounted for the entire investment growth and eclipsed all other sectors in driving the country’s economic expansion, according to the sector analysis by the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
China, India, SE Asia drive global electricity demand spike
The surge in global electricity demand over the next three years is expected to be entirely met by rapidly expanding renewables and a resurgent nuclear sector, marking a significant shift in the clean power transition, a report released on Wednesday said. China, India, and Southeast Asian nations are projected to account for 85% of the global increase in electricity demand through 2026, according to Electricity 2024 by the International Energy Agency, a Paris-based intergovernmental organization.
Snowless winter in Himalayas - another sign of climate change
Ski instructor Showkat Ahmad Chopan looks around at the brown, rocky mountain slopes around him in Indian-administered Kashmir – normally covered in snow at this time of year – and realizes he may not have any students this year. “This is the first time I’ve seen such conditions in January, our peak snow season,” he said. “Kashmir’s winters have always been our pride and joy.
Renewable energy surge: Southeast Asia’s wind, solar power grow by 20% in a year
Operating solar and wind capacity in Southeast Asia grew in 2023 by a fifth, reaching over 28 gigawatts (GW), accounting for 9% of the total electricity generation capacity, a new report by Global Energy Monitor said. The ASEAN countries, which include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor Leste, added 3 GW of solar capacity and 2 GW of wind power in 2023, according to GEM’s report.
Climate change in South China Sea will impact global weather: experts
The impact of climate change in the South China Sea and its surrounding areas on the local and global weather system could be “profound,” new scientific research has found. The “unique characteristics” of climate change in the South China Sea and surrounding area (SCSSA) – such as the Pacific and Indian oceans, Southeast Asia, and the Tibetan Plateau – include rapid warming in key regions, researchers said in a study published in the Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research journal on Tuesday.
Climate change in South China Sea will have global weather impact: experts
The impact of climate change in the South China Sea and its surrounding areas on the local and global weather system could be “profound,” new scientific research has found.
China helps world achieve record renewable energy growth
China’s “extraordinary” acceleration in renewable energy capacity propelled 2023 to witness the fastest global growth rate in over twenty years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a new report on Thursday. The world’s annual additions to renewable electricity generation capacity soared by nearly 50%, reaching approximately 510 gigawatts (GW) - marking the 22nd consecutive year of setting new records in renewable capacity growth, the Paris-based IEA said in its Renewables 2023 report.
Cold, hot and wet: China’s year of climatic contrasts
China experienced its hottest year on record, as well as one of the wettest, in 2023, highlighting the escalating impact of climate change through a series of extreme weather events to come. Beijing-based National Climate Center (NCC) reported this week that the average temperature for the year soared to 10.7 degrees Celsius (51.3 Fahrenheit), eclipsing the prior record of 10.5 C set in 2021.
Timor-Leste island boasts ‘most biodiverse’ reefs despite climate change
Donning a weathered diving mask, Manuel Gamboa comes ashore after four hours in the sea, visibly weary from the early morning catch with a dozen young Timorese fishers. “Once, we grappled with dwindling fish stocks due to rampant overfishing in our waters,” the elder reflects, his words parsing through the hubbub of villagers assembled at Beloi Beach to claim their share of the bounty.
COP28 agrees to ‘transition away from,’ not ‘phase out’ fossil fuels
In the end, Abu Dhabi oil boss Sultan Al Jaber got what he wanted – a deal on fossil fuel language at the COP28 climate summit, which he has been presiding over for the past 13 days.
COP28 agrees to 'transition away from,' not 'phase out' fossil fuels
In the end, Abu Dhabi oil boss Sultan Al Jaber got what he wanted: a deal on fossil fuel language at the COP28 climate summit, which he has been presiding over for the past 13 days.
Pods of pollution: COP28 art puts Beijing, Delhi smog on display
As world leaders huddled inside various rooms at the COP28 to discuss ways to tackle climate change, visitors were offered an unconventional and compelling exhibit in another corner of the summit venue in Dubai. Picture stepping into a world where the air you breathe tells a story of cities choked by pollution, lives cut short, and the urgent need for change.
Indonesian stingray marks first marine fish extinction on IUCN Red List
An extremely rare Java Stingaree, known solely from a single specimen collected in 1862 at a fish market in Jakarta, has officially been declared extinct and added to the updated Red List of Threatened Species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced Monday at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
Indonesian stingray marks first marine fish extinction on IUCN Red List
An extremely rare Java Stingaree, known solely from a single specimen collected in 1862 at a fish market in Jakarta, has officially been declared extinct and added to the updated Red List of Threatened Species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced Monday at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
Countries disagree on fossil fuel wording as COP28 deadline looms
If there is one thing that Sultan Al Jaber, the head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, wants at the COP28 climate summit, which he is presiding over, it is a deal on phasing out fossil fuel. It would be historic. “There is overwhelming consensus that phasing out fossil fuels and scaling up renewable energy is absolutely necessary,” Jaber said on Dec. 10, after meeting with negotiators from 198 countries.
China stagnates as Indonesia, Malaysia slip in climate ranking
Updates at 18:52 ET on Dec. 8, 2023 The world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, China, lags among the “low” performing countries despite growth in renewables, while Indonesia and Malaysia dropped in ranking tackling climate change, according to a new report released Friday at COP28 in Dubai.
In China, 1 in 5 could face severe drought, UN report says
Droughts intensified by global warming, described as “an unprecedented emergency on a planetary scale,” will impact billions of people with dire consequences, including food shortages and famine, said a U.N. report released Friday at the outset of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
Farmers weather upheaval as climate change brings a storm of challenges
After generations of tilling the land in central Nepal’s mid-hills, 47-year-old Purna Lama’s family is at a daunting crossroads. Weather patterns, shifting dramatically over the past 5-6 years, have posed difficulties for farmers like Lama, who supports a family of eight on a plot of land smaller than two acres (0.8 hectares). “Swathes of farmland in our area are barren because farmers could not depend on weather for agriculture,” Lama told Radio Free Asia.
In China, 1 in 5 could face severe drought, UN data says
Droughts intensified by global warming, described as “an unprecedented emergency on a planetary scale,” will impact billions of people with dire consequences, including food shortages and famine, said a U.N. report released Thursday at the outset of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
In China, 1 in 5 could face severe drought, UN data says
Droughts intensified by global warming, described as “an unprecedented emergency on a planetary scale,” will impact billions of people with dire consequences, including food shortages and famine, said a U.N. report released Thursday at the outset of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
More than $420M pledged for yet-to-be-named climate fund
Oil-rich COP28 host state United Arab Emirates pledged US$100 million for an officially unnamed climate fund aimed to address irreversible loss and damage incurred by vulnerable nations due to climate change impacts as the U.N.-led climate summit gets underway in Dubai. Representatives from nearly 200 nations Thursday reached a unanimous agreement to adopt the operational framework for the fund, which developing countries have been pushing for more than three decades.
Xi, Biden among notable absences as COP28 set to begin in Dubai
More than 70,000 dignitaries from across the world gather on Thursday to attend the largest-ever COP28 as Dubai plays host, marking a historic moment for a major oil-producing nation taking the reins of the United Nations climate change summit. At the same time, the absence of leaders from the world’s top two greenhouse gas emitters, China and the United States, casts a shadow over the two-week-long event to accelerate collective climate action.
China’s renewable energy boom powers global job surge, report says
The global energy sector is witnessing a surge in job opportunities fueled by clean technologies, with China contributing over half of this growth, a Paris-based energy watchdog said, while warning that skill shortages are emerging as an increasing concern.
Planned fossil fuel production is double global climate targets, report says
Governments intend to increase their oil, gas, and coal production in 2030 to reach around 110% more than would align to limit global warming based on the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius, despite pledges to cut fossil fuels, a new U.N.-led multi-agency report said. The impending clash over the future of fossil fuels will take center stage when global leaders convene at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, in Dubai later this month.
World Bank will temporarily host ‘loss and damage’ climate fund despite concerns
Intensive negotiations in a last-ditch effort to establish a climate-related “loss and damage” fund ended with a decision to designate the World Bank as the trustee and temporary host for the first four years despite reservations. The tenuously stitched agreement was reached late Saturday in Abu Dhabi, following a two-day discussion.
UN: Asia bears brunt as climate change threatens health gains
Extreme heat causes the most significant mortality rate among all extreme weather events and hazards, with Asia bearing an exceptionally high burden, as the world warms faster than at any point in recorded history, U.N. agencies said in a report. Climate change threatens to reverse decades of health and well-being progress, especially in vulnerable communities, said the joint report “State of Climate Services” by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and World Health Organization (WHO).
Race against time to resolve climate 'loss & damage' fund deadlock
In a last-ditch effort to advance the creation of a “loss and damage” fund aimed at assisting developing nations impacted by climate change, countries are coming together on Friday to break a deadlock on a few critical issues, including oversight, funding sources and eligibility criteria.
Filipina mayor, Chinese recycler among top UN environmental honorees
A Filipina city mayor and a Chinese social enterprise have been named among the 2023 Champions of the Earth award winners for their innovative efforts in combating plastic pollution, the United Nations Environment Programme said Monday. Globally, mishandled plastics are a significant contributor to the worsening climate crisis.
Filipino mayor, Chinese recycler among top UN environmental honorees
A Filipino city mayor and a Chinese social enterprise have been named among the 2023 Champions of the Earth award winners for their innovative efforts in combating plastic pollution, the United Nations Environment Programme said Monday. Globally, mishandled plastics are a significant contributor to the worsening climate crisis.
Report: Hydropower growth in Lower Mekong threatens supply chain
Hydropower development in the Lower Mekong Basin threatens to jeopardize crucial regional supply chains and make several multi-billion-dollar industries more vulnerable, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a new report. The continued expansion of hydropower is threatening the integrity of essential supply chains, including energy production, fisheries and aquaculture, rice production, sand mining, and the manufacturing of textiles and electronics, warned the report released on Monday.
Report: Hydropower growth in Lower Mekong threatens supply chain
Hydropower development in the Lower Mekong Basin threatens to jeopardize crucial regional supply chains and make several multi-billion-dollar industries more vulnerable, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a new report. The continued expansion of hydropower is threatening the integrity of essential supply chains, including energy production, fisheries and aquaculture, rice production, sand mining, and the manufacturing of textiles and electronics, warned the report released on Monday.
Filipino mayor, Chinese recycler among top UN environmental honorees
A Filipino city mayor and a Chinese social enterprise have been named among the 2023 Champions of the Earth award winners for their innovative efforts in combating plastic pollution, the United Nations Environment Programme said Monday. Globally, mishandled plastics are a significant contributor to the worsening climate crisis.
UN: World on brink of environmental tipping points
Extreme environmental events are increasingly interconnected and edging humanity perilously closer to a series of catastrophic tipping points, where the consequences of inaction could prove irreversible, new United Nations research has warned.
IEA forecasts 2030 global energy shift powered by clean tech surge
The number of electric cars on the road is expected to increase nearly tenfold by 2030, while renewable energy sources will account for almost half of the global power supply, a projection by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Tuesday. However, according to the Paris-based intergovernmental organization, China’s peak coal consumption timing is crucial in the global shift to clean energy, as it currently leads all other nations in coal use.
Rubber farms cause deforestation 3 times more than estimated: Study
New findings from two scientific studies reveal that the environmental impact of the global rubber trade due to deforestation has been significantly underestimated, with Southeast Asian rubber production potentially causing up to three times more forest depletion than previously believed.
Global water crisis imperils $58 trillion & food security
The global water crisis poses a significant threat, endangering approximately US$58 trillion – roughly 60% of global GDP – in annual economic value, food security, and sustainability, an environmental group said in its inaugural assessment of the economic value of water and freshwater ecosystems.
Northeast India flood: Man-made disaster worsened by climate change
Scrap-metal trader M.D. Alam was sleeping in his riverside cabin along the Teesta River in northeast India on Oct. 4 when he received an urgent phone call. “It seems a dam in Sikkim has breached. A huge flood is coming down,” his friend warned. The South Lhonak glacial lake in the Himalayan region of northern Sikkim near China and Nepal experienced a sudden and significant overflow last week for reasons still under investigation.
Northeast India flood: Man-made disaster worsened by climate change
Scrap-metal trader MD Alam was sleeping in his riverside cabin along the Teesta River in northeast India on Oct. 4 when he received an urgent phone call. “It seems a dam in Sikkim has breached. A huge flood is coming down,” his friend warned. The South Lhonak glacial lake in the Himalayan region of northern Sikkim near China and Nepal experienced a sudden and significant overflow last week for reasons still under investigation.
UNICEF: Climate-hastened disasters displaced millions of Asian children in 2016-2021
More than 40 million children were internally displaced over six years in worldwide weather-related disasters made worse by climate change, with the Philippines, India, China and Bangladesh topping the chart in absolute numbers, UNICEF reported on Friday.
UN: Millions of children in Asia displaced by weather-related events
More than 43 million children were internally displaced over six years due to climate change-exacerbated, weather-related disasters, with China, India and the Philippines leading the chart in absolute numbers, a U.N. agency said in a new report.
Japan, South Korea among top donors to replenish Green Climate Fund
The U.N.-backed Green Climate Fund (GCF) secured over US$9 billion for 2024-2027, falling short of expectations, with global pressures mounting on the world’s top emitter China, to start contributing to the international climate finance mechanism.
Hottest September ever as 2023 on track to break temperature record
Last month was the warmest September on record globally, with an average surface air temperature of 16.38 degrees Celsius (61.48 degrees Fahrenheit) as 2023 continues to be on track to become the hottest year on record, a European climate agency said. The record temperature was 0.93 C above the 1991-2020 average for September and 0.52 C above the previous warmest September in 2016, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Thursday.
Asia-Pacific’s climate cash conundrum: Why funding remains elusive
Despite years of voicing concerns, vulnerable nations grapple with a maze of red tape and resource hurdles. By Subel Rai Bhandari The global climate adaptation week in South Korea ended not with a bang, but a whimper. September’s Incheon City event was intended to unite Asia-Pacific leaders on climate change but faced several issues, including visa troubles for some speakers. Despite key figures missing, attendees from Bangladesh to Vanuatu discussed the challenge in accessing climate finance.
Asia-Pacific’s climate cash conundrum: Why funding remains elusive
The global climate adaptation week in South Korea ended not with a bang, but a whimper. September’s Incheon City event was intended to unite Asia-Pacific leaders on climate change but faced several issues, including visa troubles for some speakers. Despite key figures missing, attendees from Bangladesh to Vanuatu discussed the challenge in accessing climate finance.
Asia-Pacific’s climate cash conundrum: Why funding remains elusive
The global climate adaptation week in South Korea ended not with a bang, but a whimper. September’s Incheon City event was intended to unite Asia-Pacific leaders on climate change but faced several issues, including visa troubles for some speakers. Despite key figures missing, attendees from Bangladesh to Vanuatu discussed the challenge in accessing climate finance.
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