Climate change
The cable shortage: Plugging in offshore wind farms
Australia’s late entry into the offshore wind market is a welcome development for clean energy advocates. The federal government this month issued what it has called the first…
Fixing the plastics problem when delivering urgent aid
In March last year, twin cyclones – Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin – ravaged Vanuatu. The category four cyclones, occurring within 48 hours of each other, affected more than 240…
Waqf-based forests: Harnessing Islamic philanthropy for climate financing in Indonesia
Domestic funding for climate resilience has been one of Indonesia’s top priorities. Going “bigger” and “better” are essential to Indonesia’s future prosperity, given the Asian…
Australia’s comparative advantage in climate transition
Australia’s $2 billion Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility (SEAIFF) is a catch-all response to diverse objectives. It was a “deliverable” – or at least an “announcable” –…
Is the EU Australia’s blind spot in the Indo-Pacific?
Seen from Australia, the European Union may seem very distant and somehow disconnected from the Indo-Pacific. Yet, the strategic space in which Australia and the European Union…
Great powers vs domestic politics: The clean energy trade-off
The clean energy transition has emerged as a new frontier in the intensifying US–China strategic arms race. Energy transition minerals (ETMs) – an essential component of the shift…
Replenishing the Asian Development Bank in the Pacific
In early May, donor governments are expected to unveil new funding commitments for the grant-financing window of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – the Asian Development Fund…
Green transition: Supercharging a sustainable future for the Asia‑Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region, a beacon of economic growth, is projected to contribute an astonishing 60% to global GDP growth by 2024. At the heart of this region’s transformation is…
Shipping and the great shrinking waterways
How low can the Yangtze go?
Although Asia’s longest river is making a slow recovery from the late-2022 drought that stopped some of the traffic up the “golden waterway” that…
A multilateral bank for the Indo-Pacific?
Governments around the world are facing complex intersecting challenges: how to achieve supply chain diversification and resilience while simultaneously pursuing more ambitious…