Climate change
Thailand’s path to climate resilience
Heavy rains, landslides and flash floods are yet again battering Thailand. Amid the annual monsoon season (July–October), the recent arrival of the La Niña weather phenomenon and…
Unhealthy competition in green technology
Avoiding catastrophic climate change requires far more than the current Paris accord commitments. Even keeping these commitments looks unlikely as governments struggle with the…
Parting the waters: India v Pakistan
On 30 August, India asked Pakistan to modify the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), a long-standing agreement that allocates the waters of the Indus Basin equally between these two often…
What lies beneath: There’s more to cables than geopolitics
Last Wednesday, during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, the United States, European Union and their allies unveiled the New York Principles on Undersea Cables, committing…
The logic of first mover disadvantage: Why Australia won’t save the planet
One of the more established ideas in the social sciences is that there are advantages to be derived from going first. Whether it is entrepreneurs coming up with new gizmos or…
Meeting the need: Recommendations for a new Loss and Damage fund
A new UN report on rising sea levels, unveiled at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting last month in Tonga, has brought the harsh realities of climate change into sharp focus…
Southeast Asia’s great haze: Laggards and leaders
Transboundary haze pollution remains a key environmental challenge for Southeast Asia. Only last year, after a drop in forest and peatland fires due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the…
Polycrisis in the Pacific: How leaders will respond at the PIF Summit in Tonga
The Pacific region is facing a “polycrisis”, said Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka at a Pacific security conference in Suva in June.The mounting threats of climate change,…
Australia–ASEAN maritime cooperation: A focus on the whole risks losing sight of the parts
Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations share aspirations for the future of the region, evident at the March special summit in Melbourne with agreement on a …
