Environment
The uncertain future for Southeast Asia’s great sea nomads
For the past 4,000 years, the Moken people, a Southeast Asian seafaring group, have travelled between Thailand and Myanmar, spending most of their time on boats known as kabang,…
The carbon sinks of Southeast Asia are in trouble
Southeast Asia contains about 40 per cent of the world’s tropical peatlands. These wetland ecosystems, comprised of centuries-old, partially decomposed organic matter, play a…
The fight for freshwater in the Maldives
Coral reefs, ring-like atolls, attractive beaches and teeming marine life – the Maldives is renowned for its scenic beauty. But these waterside attractions make the pressure on…
Beyond borders, beyond loss: How regional cooperation can safeguard Asia’s biodiversity
Asia, a crucial region for migratory species, is witnessing their alarming decline. A major United Nations report released this year warned that one in five of the world’s…
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…
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…
From confrontation to collaboration: Working together on critical minerals supply chains
A recent article in the Australian Financial Review on the urgent “parachuting” of Chinese technicians to a troubled lithium processing plant in Western Australia has highlighted…
A role for nuclear in Australia’s climate response?
Dron Parashar, writing in The Interpreter last month, notes that other countries are actively exploring nuclear options for electricity generation, while the current Australian…
Kicking up a stink: Europe’s farmers, like those in Australia, are counting costs
The European Union has abandoned a plan to reduce pesticide use by half across the continent by the end of this decade. It follows widespread demonstrations from local farmers in…
A jurisdiction over the high seas
During a summer break, The Interpreter will feature selected articles each day from throughout the past year. Normal publishing will resume 15 January, 2024. This article first…