https://www.scmp.com/rss/324525/feed Erik Solheim is head of UN Environment. He is the former Minister of Environment and International Development of Norway, and most recently headed the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Solheim is also an experienced peace negotiator, having acted as the main facilitator of the peace process in Sri Lanka, and participated in others from Sudan to Nepal. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com For too long, prosperity or the environment has been seen as a trade-off, and pollution an unwelcome cost of industry. But global trends show this is no longer the case, as the drive for a pollution-free planet provides an opportunity to innovate. The unfolding energy revolution is a game changer. Falling costs from renewables like wind and solar power mean countries moving away from fossil fuels will reap economic and environmental benefits, with faster transport networks and flexible power... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2118748/five-steps-pollution-free-planet-green-and-growing-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2118748/five-steps-pollution-free-planet-green-and-growing-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:15:59 +0000 Senior government officials from across Asia and the Pacific meet in Bangkok this week for the first-ever Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment. This is a unique opportunity for the region’s environmental leaders to discuss how to work together towards a resource efficient and pollution-free region. At the core of the meeting is the question: how can we use our resources more efficiently to continue growing our economies in a manner that does not tax our natural environment or... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2109672/asias-continued-growth-depends-tackling-pollution-and-using?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2109672/asias-continued-growth-depends-tackling-pollution-and-using?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Sep 2017 04:20:52 +0000 When poachers kill a mother elephant, the dependent babies left behind usually die. Rarely, lucky ones are rescued. A handful of orphanages at African elephant ranges see them rehabilitated, raised and released back into the wild. I recently visited one of these. Some of the babies had been stabbed or shot, but their wounds ran much deeper than the physical. Elephants are highly intelligent and social. Orphaned babies are often depressed and grieve for months or years. Some even die of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2096899/hong-kong-must-act-now-total-ivory-trade-ban-delays-would-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2096899/hong-kong-must-act-now-total-ivory-trade-ban-delays-would-be?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jun 2017 07:38:19 +0000