Readers discuss the urgent need to accelerate steps to combat air pollution, Hong Kong’s response to Japan’s release of waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and the steep rise in food prices in India.

One of China’s biggest food delivery services increased the frequency of orders without single-use tableware by more than 600 per cent through ‘green nudge’ encouraging users to opt out, and the practice could save millions of tonnes of plastic if adopted by others.

California signed its most recent pact with the Chinese province of Hainan in August, including academic cooperation on air pollution, carbon neutrality and zero-emission vehicles.

While most of the planet’s 20 largest economies managed to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide they churn out by using coal to generate electricity, China emitted 3.10 tonnes per head of population last year, up 30 per cent from 2.38 tonnes in 2015, the report found.

China will set up a recycling system for ageing solar panels and wind turbines in an effort to tackle millions of tonnes of equipment slated for retirement in the coming years.

Beijing’s energy-security plans seen signalling a shift away from a decarbonisation approach now considered too radical and partly to blame for China’s power shortages in recent years.

The European Union’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will make it more expensive for trade partners with higher levels of emissions, including China.

Huge processing vessel undocks as a chorus of calls and suggestions flag energy security pitfalls and seek action from Beijing at a time of internal and external uncertainties.

Chinese companies and local governments are using incentives to promote low-carbon living, but for the behaviour to become mainstream and align with the nation’s net-zero goal requires a streamlined and scientific approach, analysts say.

China, a nation of 1.4 billion people, is facing a demographic dilemma. Its population is declining, ageing, and has more men than women. Together they present complex challenges for the world’s second-largest economy.

China is unlikely to see large-scale power shortages this summer even with heatwaves driving up demand for cooling and more frequent droughts threatening the country’s hydropower output, analysts said.

President Xi Jinping demanded urgent action last week after sandstorms cloaked China’s northern regions in March and April, with a Chinese delegation set to visit Mongolia from later this month to jointly work on solutions.

Asia accounts for a huge chunk of all the plastic that is made globally each year, with tiny fragments that are believed to be harmful to human health found all over the world, from Mount Everest to the deepest seas.

The shift to a circular economy could prevent 500 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually, resulting in more than US$4.5 trillion in net savings and external costs up to 2040, according to a UNEP report.

Mainland China, which accounts for about half of the world’s total annual coal consumption, needs to do more in terms of climate commitments, a special envoy from Europe’s largest economy says.

Sandstorm particles were detected for the first time in the northern and western parts of Japan since 2021.

Mysterious mass was found by group of kayakers on March 19 at Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park in city’s northwestern waters.

PM10 particles from cyclone over Mongolia are responsible for the rare phenomenon, caused by the scattering of light.

Conducted by scientists in Australia and China, the study found that more than 90 per cent of days in southern and eastern Asia had concentrations of dangerous particulate matter exceeding the WHO’s safety limit.

China has an outsize impact as the world’s largest producer and consumer of plastics, says environmental organisation Back to Blue.

Six state-owned companies in Henan province were found to violate pollution control regulations during a surprise inspection.

Some Chinese listed companies in sectors unrelated to energy have recently entered the solar business, which is already forecast to go into oversupply with the biggest players aggressively expanding capacity as part of China’s renewable-energy push.

Sinopec and PetroChina ranked among the top seven contributors to global single-use plastic production and waste generation in 2021, report says

The China Certified Emission Reduction CCER scheme, suspended six years ago because of low trading volume and a lack of standardisation in carbon audits, is considered an important part of the country’s environmental goals.