https://www.scmp.com/rss/509874/feed Latest news and analysis about how different governments engage with each other over environmental policies, including competition, collaboration and negotiations. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Christine Loh Christine Loh There is growing unease in how we describe political systems today. Words that once seemed clear no longer illuminate as they should. “Free”, “democratic”, “liberal” and “authoritarian” are among the most commonly used terms in political discourse, yet their meanings have become increasingly blurred and contested. This is not simply a matter of semantics. It reflects a deeper mismatch between the language we use and the realities we are trying to describe. The problem is not new. In George... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352499/rise-china-complicates-authoritarian-vs-democratic-binary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352499/rise-china-complicates-authoritarian-vs-democratic-binary?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela As ceasefires fail, peace talks stall and the Strait of Hormuz remains under a blockade, the deepening Middle East crisis has exposed the structural limitations of global security frameworks. The US-Israel war on Iran since February has strained United Nations bodies and left Nato reeling over US President Donald Trump’s threats to leave the transatlantic security alliance. With the risk of a protracted war looming, there is an often overlooked security grouping – whose member states include... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352508/asian-alternative-nato-how-cica-rethinking-middle-east-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352508/asian-alternative-nato-how-cica-rethinking-middle-east-security?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 02:00:06 +0000 Genevieve Donnellon-May Genevieve Donnellon-May Central Asia’s water insecurity may seem a distant concern. But its rivers underpin Eurasian trade corridors, sustain global food markets and power regional energy systems. As water stress worsens, this is no longer just an environmental issue but a strategic threat across Eurasia – demanding urgent attention in Beijing, Brussels and beyond. Central Asia is warming twice as fast as the global average, accelerating glacier retreat in mountain ranges that act as natural reservoirs. As a result,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341896/why-china-and-europe-should-care-about-central-asias-water-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341896/why-china-and-europe-should-care-about-central-asias-water-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Jiang Jiani Jiang Jiani At Davos this year, a familiar but sobering warning echoed through the slopes: the global order is fracturing into closed loops. In Western capitals, “de-risking” remains the dominant keyword, framing the global economy as a series of strategic high walls. Yet, beyond these barriers, a more tangible crisis is unfolding across the Global South. The infrastructure deficit continues to widen, estimated at a staggering US$1.7 trillion annually for Asia alone. This is a crisis of global governance.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341126/china-grows-it-reshaping-how-global-public-goods-are-delivered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341126/china-grows-it-reshaping-how-global-public-goods-are-delivered?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has proposed to host the secretariat of a new treaty governing the high seas, in what observers say is the latest effort by Beijing to proactively play a bigger role in shaping international rules of order. Days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pull the US from 66 international organisations, including United Nations commissions and major bodies set up to tackle climate change, China has bid for Xiamen in Fujian province – a coastal hub that sits on the Taiwan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340455/china-bids-secretariat-high-seas-treaty-contrast-us-exit-un-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340455/china-bids-secretariat-high-seas-treaty-contrast-us-exit-un-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:21:09 +0000 James Borton James Borton On January 17, a quiet revolution will take place across around two-thirds of the world’s oceans. A landmark United Nations agreement known as the High Seas Treaty will formally enter into force, creating the first legally binding global framework to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. For the first time, activities beyond national jurisdictions – from industrial fishing to deep-sea mining and bio-prospecting – will be subject to environmental impact assessments, marine... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339604/high-seas-treaty-chance-china-lead-marine-conservation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339604/high-seas-treaty-chance-china-lead-marine-conservation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China will cut export subsidies for solar panels and batteries in the coming months, a move mainly aimed at curbing domestic overcompetition and consolidating two sectors where China is dominant, said analysts who also expect it will help ease trade tensions with Europe. Authorities will cancel export value-added tax rebates for solar panels and lower rebates for batteries from 9 per cent to 6 per cent from April 1. The rebates for batteries will be cancelled on January 1, 2027, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3339430/goodwill-or-necessity-why-china-slashing-solar-and-battery-subsidies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3339430/goodwill-or-necessity-why-china-slashing-solar-and-battery-subsidies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 09:13:00 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United Nations urged global leaders on Monday to focus on people and the planet in a New Year’s message depicting the world in chaos. “As we enter the new year, the world stands at a crossroads. Chaos and uncertainty surround us. Division. Violence. Climate breakdown. And systemic violations of international law,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a video message. In 2026, as war rages in Ukraine and elsewhere, world leaders must work to ease human suffering and fight climate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338076/un-chief-antonio-guterres-calls-world-leaders-get-serious-grim-new-year-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338076/un-chief-antonio-guterres-calls-world-leaders-get-serious-grim-new-year-message?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 18:23:34 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik In 1865, when a British entrepreneur built a demonstration railroad near Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi saw not progress but danger – of disruptions to feng shui, imperial graves and rural order – and had the tracks torn up. Two decades later, when a Chinese-built coal line threatened to steam too close to sacred grounds, Cixi’s solution was not innovation but regression. She ordered that the locomotive be replaced with horses. By clinging to tradition in the face of technological transformation,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336278/us-green-tech-involution-echoes-mistake-chinas-qing-dynasty-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336278/us-green-tech-involution-echoes-mistake-chinas-qing-dynasty-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:00:17 +0000 Hiba Malik Hiba Malik In the first three quarters of this year, China added 310 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, up 47.7 per cent year on year and accounting for 84.4 per cent of all new power installations in the country, according to the National Energy Administration. This progress is more than climate leadership or capacity building; it involves a holistic reconstruction of the energy system. China is replacing the 20th-century fossil fuel order with a 21st-century “electro-industrial order” where power... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335658/how-china-cementing-its-central-role-architect-green-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335658/how-china-cementing-its-central-role-architect-green-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Gerui Wang Gerui Wang French President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China last week signals a recalibration in how China and Europe engage at a moment when technological competition, trade disputes, climate imperatives and geopolitical fragmentation threaten global stability. Macron met enthusiastic students at Sichuan University; French first lady Brigitte Macron visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The trip fostered economic collaboration between the two countries and deliberately... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335838/france-and-china-are-testing-alternative-zero-sum-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335838/france-and-china-are-testing-alternative-zero-sum-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:30:09 +0000 John Haffner,Jenny Lee,Lisa Sachs John Haffner,Jenny Lee,Lisa Sachs For decades, New York and London have defined the flow of global capital. But while markets still chase short-term returns in US equities, the next great wave of productive investment is taking shape in East Asia, led by China’s financing, manufacturing and export of the clean technologies that are remaking the global economy. That contrast has only widened. As the United States retreats from climate leadership, China has doubled down. A day after US President Donald Trump called climate change... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334872/how-hong-kong-can-distinguish-itself-climate-finance-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334872/how-hong-kong-can-distinguish-itself-climate-finance-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Nirbhay Rana Nirbhay Rana Cop30 concluded with confident declarations from global fashion brands: upgraded net-zero road maps, new partnerships under the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and bold promises to “accelerate supply-chain decarbonisation”. However, the summit revealed something the industry continues to avoid. Fashion’s climate ambition is still being shaped in the West, while the responsibility for delivering it falls almost entirely on Asia. This imbalance has not shifted. Instead, the UN... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335136/fashion-industry-must-tailor-climate-plans-asian-suppliers-reality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335136/fashion-industry-must-tailor-climate-plans-asian-suppliers-reality?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Natalie Chung Sum Yue Natalie Chung Sum Yue The Cop30 UN climate change conference in Belem, Brazil, concluded with a package of decisions that champions implementation and finance, yet its success is nuanced, marked by both institutional progress and political compromises over the core issue of fossil fuels. The conference, framed as the “implementation Cop” by the Brazilian presidency, turned attention away from purely text negotiations to implementing action. The world is grappling with the complex realities of executing a systemic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3334252/how-cop30-laid-bare-new-geopolitics-climate-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3334252/how-cop30-laid-bare-new-geopolitics-climate-action?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 12:30:10 +0000 Peter T. C. Chang Peter T. C. Chang Amid the climate crisis, China’s quiet leadership in the fight for a sustainable future offers a reason for optimism, particularly for the Global South. After two weeks of contentious negotiations, Cop30 in Brazil concluded with an uneasy deal that sidestepped any mention of fossil fuels, exposing deep divisions and mounting frustrations. Indeed, even as Cop30 convened, the world was already suffering “summit fatigue”. After decades of lofty declarations and limited follow-through, many question... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333752/trump-casts-pall-over-cop30-chinas-quiet-leadership-inspires-hope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333752/trump-casts-pall-over-cop30-chinas-quiet-leadership-inspires-hope?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:30:10 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A joint declaration at the Cop30 summit in Brazil – reached without United States participation after Washington again pulled out of the Paris climate pact – has kept fragile climate cooperation alive for the Global South, even as the talks fell short of a fossil fuel phase-out. Observers said the outcome revealed both the limits of a strained multilateral system and the room that still existed for developing nations to influence the global energy transition, with several pointing to the UN... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333934/what-cop30-deal-means-climate-unity-and-global-south-amid-fossil-fuel-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333934/what-cop30-deal-means-climate-unity-and-global-south-amid-fossil-fuel-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:35:43 +0000 Lisa Lim Lisa Lim Cop30, the 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Cop) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 1992 landmark international treaty and parent treaty to the 2015 Paris Agreement, began on November 10 and was scheduled to end on November 21. Hosted in Belem, Brazil, Cop30 was the “Forest Cop”, not only for its Amazon rainforest venue, but because a focus of the UN Climate Change Conference is forest and biodiversity protection. Central to this endeavour... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3333625/why-language-loss-indigenous-communities-hurts-biodiversity-conservation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3333625/why-language-loss-indigenous-communities-hurts-biodiversity-conservation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 09:15:13 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A tentative thaw in India–China ties is rekindling hopes that the two Asian giants could move from strategic rivalry to clean-energy cooperation at a moment when the Global South is searching for leverage in climate negotiations. This cautious warming, after four years of strained relations, has unfolded alongside renewed trade in green-energy components and their increasingly aligned push at Cop30 in Brazil for more climate finance and fairer rules, a convergence that analysts say could subtly... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333729/cop30-india-and-china-align-climate-ties-thaw-going-same-direction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333729/cop30-india-and-china-align-climate-ties-thaw-going-same-direction?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 08:00:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters Brazil’s Cop30 presidency pushed through a compromise climate deal on Saturday that would boost finance for poor nations coping with global warming but omitted any mention of the fossil fuels driving it. In securing the accord, Brazil hoped to demonstrate global unity in addressing climate change impacts even after the world’s biggest historic emitter, the United States, declined to send an official delegation. Acknowledging that the deal left many frustrated, the head of the UN climate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333817/world-secures-compromise-deal-cop30-sidesteps-fossil-fuels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333817/world-secures-compromise-deal-cop30-sidesteps-fossil-fuels?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 17:05:59 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley It is not quite true to say that China stole the show with its strong presence at the recent Cop30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, because the United States had already voluntarily abdicated its lead role in these events. However, the summit did underline the staying power of state versus market economies when it comes to long-term investment. The truth is that Western approaches to climate change prevention or alleviation have been half-hearted and muddled from the start. They have relied... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333537/how-cop30-highlights-power-chinese-state-capitalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333537/how-cop30-highlights-power-chinese-state-capitalism?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A fire broke out Thursday inside the UN climate summit venue in Brazil, burning through the roof and causing a panicked evacuation and the suspension of talks entering a crucial phase. The blaze engulfed pavilions in the summit site in Belem around 2pm, torching a hole through its fabric ceiling, sparking a rush for the exit as smoke filled the corridors and people cried “fire!” It was the third major incident since the Cop30 negotiations started last week in the Amazon region, after Indigenous... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333604/fire-disrupts-cop30-climate-talks-brazil-just-negotiators-reach-critical-final-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333604/fire-disrupts-cop30-climate-talks-brazil-just-negotiators-reach-critical-final-days?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 20:35:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters Turkey will host next year’s UN climate summit while Australia will lead the conference’s negotiations among governments under a compromise deal taking shape in talks in Brazil, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday. The annual Cop conferences are the world’s main forum for driving climate action. The compromise would resolve a stand-off between Australia and Turkey over who would stage Cop31. Both bid in 2022 to host it and refused to stand down. The two sides were now... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3333467/turkey-host-cop31-climate-summit-australia-opts-compromise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3333467/turkey-host-cop31-climate-summit-australia-opts-compromise?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:43:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press With a direct letter sent to nations and a draft text released on Tuesday, host country Brazil is shifting the UN climate conference into a higher gear. The letter sent late on Monday comes during the final week of the first climate summit in the Amazon rainforest, a key regulator of climate because trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that warms the planet. Cop30 President Andre Correa do Lago later released a proposal with 21 options for negotiators to choose from on four sticky and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333308/brazil-ramps-cop30-climate-talks-21-point-draft-amazon-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333308/brazil-ramps-cop30-climate-talks-21-point-draft-amazon-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:00:17 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thousands of people marched through the streets of Belem on Saturday to press for action from negotiators holding tough talks at the United Nations’ Cop30 climate conference in the Amazonian city. Under a baking sun, indigenous people mixed with activists gathered in a festive atmosphere, blasting music from speakers, carrying a giant beach ball of Earth and holding a flag of Brazil emblazoned with the words “Protected Amazon”. It was the first major protest outside the annual climate talks... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332948/cop30-climate-protesters-rally-brazil-un-summits-halfway-mark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332948/cop30-climate-protesters-rally-brazil-un-summits-halfway-mark?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 15:25:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Protesters in Pokemon costumes stomped around the United Nations climate conference on Friday to send a message to Japan: end financing of coal and natural gas projects across Southeast Asia and other regions of the Global South. The Stop Japan’s Dirty Energy Plans protest aligned with the first of two thematic days with a focus on energy during the annual climate conference known as Cop30, held this year in Belem on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon. Organisers of the protest said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3332912/japans-fossil-fuel-activists-tap-pikachu-catch-attention-cop30?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3332912/japans-fossil-fuel-activists-tap-pikachu-catch-attention-cop30?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 06:30:18 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Spectating from afar during the Cop30 UN climate summit in Belem on the edge of Brazil’s Amazon forests, it is easy to despair. Despite 30 years of concerted global diplomacy and exhaustive scientific evidence of the gravity of global warming, carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, as do global temperatures. Brazil’s rainforest continues to burn. Global oil and gas production remains robust. Governments procrastinate and funding promises still fail to materialise. Worst of all, the world’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332704/takeaway-cop30-climate-action-needs-be-close-and-local?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332704/takeaway-cop30-climate-action-needs-be-close-and-local?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:30:10 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Real actions beyond speeches are what the world’s leaders are being asked to come up with at Cop30. Host Brazil’s urgent call, cast into focus at the first UN Conference of the Parties set in the heart of the threatened Amazon, is a tall order. Carbon emissions remain too high to meet global warming targets and the US government is a no show. But some have found hope in a recent push to form a “coalition of the willing”. Such technology and investment partnerships, primarily among developing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3332620/us-sits-out-cop30-china-and-others-must-pick-slack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3332620/us-sits-out-cop30-china-and-others-must-pick-slack?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 23:15:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse With US President Donald Trump skipping the UN’s climate summit in the Amazon, California Governor Gavin Newsom grabbed the spotlight on Tuesday and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the fossil fuel agenda of his political nemesis. The well-coiffed Democrat - seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate - blasted Trump for twice leaving the Paris climate accord and for “doubling down on stupid” through his support of Big Oil. Newsom said a future Democratic administration would rejoin the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332415/cop30-california-governor-newsom-seizes-spotlight-and-takes-aim-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332415/cop30-california-governor-newsom-seizes-spotlight-and-takes-aim-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 03:21:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters Dozens of Indigenous protesters forced their way into the Cop30 climate summit venue on Tuesday and clashed with security guards at the entrance to demand climate action and forest protection. Shouting angrily, protesters demanded access to the UN compound where thousands of delegates from countries around the world are attending this year’s UN climate summit in the Amazon city of Belem, Brazil. Some waved flags with slogans calling for land rights or carried signs saying: “Our land is not for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332405/protesters-force-way-cop30-summit-venue-brazil-clash-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332405/protesters-force-way-cop30-summit-venue-brazil-clash-security?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 01:15:16 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China has reportedly declined, for the time being, to make a financial contribution to Brazil’s flagship rainforest protection mechanism, arguing that developed nations should take the lead in global climate financing. The position, reported by Brazil’s newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, frustrated hopes in Brasília that the world’s second-largest economy would become a major early backer of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, or TFFF. Chinese negotiators told their Brazilian counterparts that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332256/china-wont-back-brazil-rainforest-fund-points-rich-nations-lack-support-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332256/china-wont-back-brazil-rainforest-fund-points-rich-nations-lack-support-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 20:42:27 +0000 Syed Munir Khasru Syed Munir Khasru At Cop30, the first UN climate summit held in the heart of the Amazon, the stage is set for a fundamental reframing of climate diplomacy. For too long, the Global South has been cast as a passive aid recipient, a problem to be managed rather than a partner in solutions. But as delegates gather in Brazil’s gateway to the world’s largest rainforest, they will confront a different reality: a tropical belt that holds the keys to our climate future and a generation of evidence showing that South-led... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3331989/how-cop30-can-advance-new-template-south-south-climate-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3331989/how-cop30-can-advance-new-template-south-south-climate-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China will join a Brazil-led coalition to link carbon markets across major economies, one of the key environmental proposals set to be adopted at Cop30 in Belem on Friday. The so-called Open Coalition for the Integration of Carbon Markets was created to align standards and make it easier for countries to trade carbon credits. Developed by Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, it is part of the government’s Ecological Transformation Plan, a broad strategy to combine economic growth with social inclusion... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332010/cop30-china-join-brazil-led-coalition-seeking-improved-carbon-trading-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332010/cop30-china-join-brazil-led-coalition-seeking-improved-carbon-trading-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 20:27:26 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China has backed a landmark rainforest protection fund launched by Brazil at the Cop30 climate summit on Thursday but is not expected to announce any financial contribution during the event, Brazil’s finance minister said at a press conference. The launch of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility is one of the main outcomes of this year’s UN climate conference so far. It is a multilateral mechanism designed to reward tropical nations for keeping their forests standing rather than clearing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331845/china-joins-support-brazils-forest-fund-delays-financial-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331845/china-joins-support-brazils-forest-fund-delays-financial-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 21:20:27 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva kicked off the Cop30 climate summit on Thursday, urging leaders to turn promises into action while highlighting his country’s work within the Brics group to reaffirm the importance of climate finance, capacity building and technology transfer in global cooperation. The meeting comes amid the notable absence by the United States. President Donald Trump, who ordered the country’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in January, declined an invitation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331840/brazils-lula-opens-cop30-demanding-courage-and-cash-save-planet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331840/brazils-lula-opens-cop30-demanding-courage-and-cash-save-planet?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 18:17:48 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang ahead of this year’s Cop30 climate talks, urging Beijing to help fund green technology and investment projects. Beijing has been trying to maintain a prominent role in global efforts to fight climate change. A source familiar with the discussions said the talks had been “brief and cordial”, with the Brazilian president using the occasion to thank Beijing for its diplomatic support in hosting the event and to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331730/brazil-pushes-china-stronger-climate-commitments-run-cop30?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331730/brazil-pushes-china-stronger-climate-commitments-run-cop30?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 06:00:19 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Fallout from lethal police raids in Rio de Janeiro and mounting regional fears about US military intervention in Venezuela are threatening to overshadow the major United Nations climate summit set to begin in Brazil. The Cop30 gathering in the northern city of Belem was supposed to provide President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a chance to showcase the environmental challenges facing the Amazon rainforest while spurring an aggressive response to climate change. Instead, the pair of crises sparked... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3331733/rio-raids-venezuela-crisis-threaten-overshadow-brazils-un-climate-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3331733/rio-raids-venezuela-crisis-threaten-overshadow-brazils-un-climate-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 06:00:03 +0000 Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Today, in the Brazilian Amazon, the Belem Summit opens ahead of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop30). I have convened world leaders in the days leading up to the Cop30 so that we can all commit to acting with the urgency the climate crisis demands. If we fail to move beyond speeches into real action, our societies will lose faith, not only in the Cops, but in multilateralism and international politics more broadly. That is why I have summoned leaders to the Amazon: to make... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3331572/cop30-worlds-moment-truth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3331572/cop30-worlds-moment-truth?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Igor Patrick,Khushboo Razdan Igor Patrick,Khushboo Razdan Despite repeated pledges of support, China has yet to commit a specific financial contribution to the tropical forest-protection investment fund that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is banking on, as Cop30 opens this week in Belem, northern Brazil. The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) is a Brazil-led multilateral mechanism designed to reward tropical nations for keeping forests standing rather than clearing them. Operating as a permanent endowment, it will blend sovereign... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331394/china-praises-brazils-forest-fund-holds-back-cash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331394/china-praises-brazils-forest-fund-holds-back-cash?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 19:34:31 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to peak globally next year, marking a turning point in the energy transition, with Asia set to play a prominent role in decarbonisation. The findings were revealed in a report by Rystad Energy released on Thursday, which noted that while the shift to renewable energy had gained momentum, peak oil demand was set to occur only by the 2030s, with near-term demand for fossil fuels including gas likely to be resilient. Emerging countries such as Pakistan and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3330986/asia-play-key-role-decarbonisation-amid-shift-renewables-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3330986/asia-play-key-role-decarbonisation-amid-shift-renewables-report?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 04:00:12 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji As the West falters in its commitment to fighting climate change, analysts expect emerging economies led by China, India and Brazil to seize the initiative at next month’s UN climate summit. The Cop30 conference, from November 10 to 21 in the Brazilian city of Belem, comes as the United States under Donald Trump remains largely disengaged from climate challenges following his successive orders to withdraw the world’s largest economy from the 2015 Paris Agreement, while Europe’s attention appears... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3329473/china-india-and-brazil-set-steer-global-climate-change-agenda-cop30?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3329473/china-india-and-brazil-set-steer-global-climate-change-agenda-cop30?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 08:00:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters Global warming was crossing dangerous thresholds sooner than expected with the world’s coral reefs now in an almost irreversible die-off, marking what scientists on Monday described as the first “tipping point” in climate-driven ecosystem collapse. The warning in the Global Tipping Points report by 160 researchers worldwide, which synthesises groundbreaking science to estimate points of no return, came just weeks ahead of this year’s Cop30 climate summit being held at the edge of the Amazon... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3328754/first-climate-tipping-point-crossed-scientists-warn-ahead-cop30?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3328754/first-climate-tipping-point-crossed-scientists-warn-ahead-cop30?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:16:00 +0000 Moritz Kraemer Moritz Kraemer For developing nations, the storm clouds of deglobalisation and climate change grow darker by the day. These challenges demand an increasingly prominent role for the state, not only as a buffer against the economic shocks that disproportionately harm the most vulnerable but also as an architect of resilience. Governments in poorer countries must fund vast investments in infrastructure, sustainable energy, healthcare and education to inject dynamism into their economies. But the unresolved... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3328125/developing-economies-face-tough-reforms-global-aid-and-credit-shrink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3328125/developing-economies-face-tough-reforms-global-aid-and-credit-shrink?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:30:07 +0000 Orange Wang,Shi Jiangtao Orange Wang,Shi Jiangtao After a week-long gathering of leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York, its president struck a positive tone on Monday. Annalena Baerbock, the former German foreign minister, said there was a collective will to “choose the right path at the crossroads”. “If high-level week is any indication, this house is fulfilling that purpose – the United Nations is still relevant,” she said. But 23 years after Kofi Annan spoke of the UN’s “fork in the road”, when he was secretary general, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327827/us-retreat-un-may-create-tremendous-opportunity-nations-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327827/us-retreat-un-may-create-tremendous-opportunity-nations-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones As the milestones to limit global heating crumble and America – the world’s second-largest consumer of fossil fuels – abandons climate goals, policymakers from Asia have gathered at Bangkok’s Climate Action Week to discuss ways people can protect their region from the coming storm. Climate scientists have warned global temperatures are likely to exceed the 1.5 degree Celsius rise above pre-industrial levels at some point over the coming five years. That is well on track to hit 2 degrees,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3327781/asia-confronts-new-climate-reality-bangkok-summit-amid-global-setbacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3327781/asia-confronts-new-climate-reality-bangkok-summit-amid-global-setbacks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 08:39:09 +0000 Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yunus Bali turned into torrents of mud and debris recently as floods killed at least 18 and displaced hundreds. Cars and motorbikes were swept away and tourists evacuated from hotels. The disaster was fuelled by days of heavy rainfall that overwhelmed rivers already narrowed by upstream deforestation and rapid development. The resort island was, for several days, gripped by chaos. Almost simultaneously, typhoon Ragasa tore across the Philippines before curving towards China’s coast. Winds flattened... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3327049/asia-must-enlist-natures-defences-against-fury-extreme-weather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3327049/asia-must-enlist-natures-defences-against-fury-extreme-weather?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma President Xi Jinping announced that China, the world’s biggest producer of greenhouse gases, will aim to cut emissions by at least 7-10 per cent from a peak by 2035, a day after US leader Donald Trump slammed green policies. China will also boost non-fossil fuels to more than 30 per cent of total energy consumption and seek to expand installed wind and solar power capacity to more than six times 2020 levels, Xi said in a video address to a United Nations climate summit on Wednesday. The goals... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3326828/china-makes-global-leadership-push-us-retreats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3326828/china-makes-global-leadership-push-us-retreats?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:08:48 +0000 Frank Chen,Fan Chen Frank Chen,Fan Chen China, currently the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has announced it aims to cut its emissions by 7 to 10 per cent by 2035, a cautious target analysts said left room for flexibility on future economic policy. In a video address to United Nations climate talks on Wednesday – held during the annual UN General Assembly meeting – President Xi Jinping told his fellow leaders that China would finally reduce its emissions. “Green and low-carbon energy and development transition are the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326747/china-pledges-cut-its-climate-emissions-7-10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326747/china-pledges-cut-its-climate-emissions-7-10?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 23:15:46 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Despite frictions on trade and geopolitics that hang over their bilateral ties, leaders from the European Union and China vowed to work together to tackle global challenges on Wednesday, a day after US President Donald Trump ridiculed the “green scam” of climate change. Europe wants to work more with China on climate and biodiversity, even as it called on Beijing to help “stop the killing in Ukraine”, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following a meeting with Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326741/von-der-leyen-softens-tone-eu-seeks-chinas-help-russia-and-climate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326741/von-der-leyen-softens-tone-eu-seeks-chinas-help-russia-and-climate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:48:55 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang Hong Kong can help Asia fill a staggering climate-financing gap by helping to tap a global pool of more than US$200 trillion to fund sustainable-infrastructure projects, according to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). There was a glaring disconnect between the vast amount of available capital and the low deployment of funds for climate action in the Asia-Pacific region, said Lim Kim-see, the bank’s chief investment officer for public sector and funds clients, in an interview. “We... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3325692/hong-kong-can-unlock-capital-fill-asias-us800-billion-climate-finance-gap-aiib-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3325692/hong-kong-can-unlock-capital-fill-asias-us800-billion-climate-finance-gap-aiib-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:30:08 +0000 Paul Mottram Paul Mottram Reading recent media coverage about climate action means lurching between apparent victory and defeat. It’s triumph one day as another decarbonisation milestone is heralded. Then disaster the next as countries and companies alike walk back on climate commitments or veer perilously close to denying climate change altogether. We can expect more such whiplash: Hong Kong Green Week takes place next month, the UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC are also due to begin in September, followed by... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3323626/3-climate-misconceptions-add-noise-over-energy-and-net-zero?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3323626/3-climate-misconceptions-add-noise-over-energy-and-net-zero?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 08:30:08 +0000