On 26 August, a wall of ice, rock and water tore through the Tibet-Nepal border and ran 72 kilometres down the Trishuli valley. It killed more than 1,400 people and damaged 12 hydropower plants, knocking out about a tenth of Nepal’s generating capacity. The country had spent a decade turning its glacier-fed rivers into an ... “A warning to the world”
This piece by Pushpanathan Sundram, CEO, PublicPolicyAsia Advisors and former Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN, looks at what the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution requires and what could change before ASEAN Leaders meet in Manila for their regular summit from 16 to 18 November 2026. At its centre is Indonesia’s consent to specific, advance help, so no one has to ask in public when the smoke is at its worst
Asia was supposed to be weaning itself off coal. Instead, it is buying more of it. Seaborne thermal coal imports across the region recorded its highest level in July since the Middle East conflict disrupted global energy supply chains in March. China, India and Indonesia are all leaning harder on coal, even as they continue ... Asia’s coal conundrum
Asia is pouring hundreds of billions into chip fabs and data centres, but building them on a foundation that is quietly running dry. Around 70% of the world’s major aquifers are in long-term decline, and by 2050, a third of global GDP could be under high water stress. From Taiwan’s drought-exposed fabs to India’s competing ... Water, water, everywhere?
It is imperative that Asia Pacific’s supply chains transition to more sustainable practices
Nepal’s dramatic fall in poverty defies conventional wisdom, driven less by growth or remittances than by hundreds of small, community-level interventions. This StoneBench paper, written in partnership with John Donaldson, associate professor of political science at Singapore Management University, explores the issue
BP’s stunning reversal on its renewable energy commitments is a direct result of President Doland Trump’s energy rhetoric—think “drill baby drill”. The oil giant will cut its planned funding for renewables by $5 billion and instead focus on oil and gas production. While sources attribute BP’s u-turn to investor concern stemming from poor financial performance, the political context ... BP’s reversal from renewables a sign of the times
No conversation around the future of energy is complete without a discussion on Asia
EV not just about cars, but also two- and three-wheelers in Asia
Rosy Khanna, Asia-Pacific regional industry director for financial institutions at International Finance Corporation, talks to us about the digitalisation of finance and accompanying trends