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Climate change science and technology

Climate change science and technology
Latest news, analysis and commentary about the technological aspects of adjusting to climate change, including stories about decarbonisation, the removal of pollutants from the air, water or soil, and innovations in energy-saving technology.
Illustration: Henry Wong
Science

US green tech retreat echoes mistake of China’s Qing dynasty before collapse

While Washington pulls back on climate, Beijing is making it possible for developing nations to leapfrog into a cleaner energy era.

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China economy

Opinion | How China is cementing its central role as the architect of green tech

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Science

China desalination tech makes fresh water cheaper than tap water – plus hydrogen

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India

New Delhi’s smog surge linked to 200,000 respiratory cases

Acrid smog chokes Delhi’s skyline each winter, when cool air traps a deadly mix of pollutants from crop burning, factories, and traffic.

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Buildings are shrouded in smog, in New Delhi, India, on November 29. Photo: Reuters
Climate change

Opinion | How Cop30 laid bare the new geopolitics of climate action

Fractures, even among the Global South, show the energy transition is not just a technical challenge but a deeply political negotiation.

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Science

Nuclear tech milestone: China’s supercritical generator connects to grid

Supercritical carbon dioxide power system in southwest China is the world’s first commercial unit of its kind.

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Climate change

Opinion | China’s quiet climate leadership offers hope for Global South and world

The Global North is failing to deliver on its climate pledges while Beijing patiently lays the groundwork for a greener future.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Science

China overtakes US in medical research in science power shift: top publisher

Country is ‘now global leader in scientific publishing and output’, Fred Fenter, chief executive editor of Swiss-based Frontiers, says.

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Climate change

Outside In | Takeaway from Cop30: climate action needs to be up close and local

A focus on adaptation means a pivot to action on floods, typhoons, heatstroke deaths, wildfire damage – issues of immediate survival.

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Climate change

Opinion | How Cop30 can advance a new template for South-South climate leadership

Proven monitoring, policy lessons and the moral weight of the Amazon venue give the Global South a rare convergence of tech capability and political urgency.

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Leaders gather during the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility in the framework of the Cop30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil, on November 6. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Cop30: China to join coalition seeking shared rules for carbon trading

New alliance, which also includes the EU and UK, was created to align standards globally and help countries trade carbon credits more easily.

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The Wujing Power Station in Shanghai. China is set to join a coalition seeking shared rules for carbon trading at Cop30 in Belém, Brazil. Photo: AFP
Science

Lead scientist of China’s thorium reactor project died working on the computer

Death of nuclear physicist Xu Hongjie came just weeks before the project he led achieved a breakthrough in fourth-generation nuclear power.

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Science

China reaches energy independence milestone by ‘breeding’ uranium from thorium

Chinese research institute confirms success of fission-based innovation that is poised to reshape clean, sustainable nuclear power.

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India

Artificial rain? Delhi tries cloud seeding in fight against deadly smog

There are plans for the scheme to be rolled out, with the city’s 30 million people living in one of the world’s most polluted capitals.

A man in Delhi walks with a face mask on Thursday after the air quality dipped again. Photo: Reuters
Accidents and disasters in China

China’s double threat: Shanghai sinks as sea level rises fastest in 4,000 years

Researchers from Britain, China and the US warn in Nature article about increased flood risks from subsidence induced by human activity.

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China faces an average of US$1.5 billion in annual economic losses because of subsidence, with Shanghai alone accounting for more than US$3 billion in damages between 2001 and 2020. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Energy

How outdated power grids are hobbling Southeast Asia’s green energy boom

Without more investment in smart grids, Southeast Asia could lose US$2.3 billion annually by 2040, an energy think tank warns.

Business of climate change

China’s clean-energy stocks closing gap with global renewables surge

Policy tailwinds could help Chinese solar and energy-storage shares catch up with a global gold-beating rally, analysts say.

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China exports

China’s cleantech creating ‘new global energy system’ as exports soar: report

Demand for clean technology is ‘skyrocketing’, especially in Global South, as China drives creation of cheaper solutions, report says.

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China’s exports of clean technology have soared in recent years, as the cost of wind turbines, solar panels, lithium batteries and other solutions continues to fall. Photo: Xinhua
Wellness

‘Planetary health diet’ could stop 15 million deaths a year, climate disaster

Global shift to healthier, mainly plant-based diets could save millions of lives and avert the worst effects of climate change, report says.

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China energy security

China surpasses 10,000km of subsea pipelines, boosting offshore energy network

Pipeline network is designed to be able to carry green fuels, offering China more flexibility in its transition towards clean energy.

Climate change

Opinion | Asia must enlist nature’s defences against fury of extreme weather

Asia must stop trying to outbuild nature and start working with it, embracing nature-based solutions and restoring protective ecosystems.

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A participant of a sustainable tourism campaign in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, helps to plant mangrove seedlings on September 27. Nature-based solutions must not be treated as side projects but embedded into economic resilience strategies. Photo: EPA
Science

Hydride ion battery breakthrough: Chinese team hits 6x capacity of lithium ion

Rechargeable, room-temperature stable battery possible using rare earth-based battery electrolyte harnessing hydride ions: Nature paper.

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Chinese scientists say they have created a new type of battery that might offer a safer alternative to conventional lithium-based batteries. Photo: CCTV
China energy security

Already world’s top energy-storing nation, China to supercharge capacity by 2027

New plan calls for expansion of energy-storage applications, including more projects in desert areas and at retired coal-fired power plant sites.

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Science

China mulls converting coal-fired power plants to nuclear facilities

Retiring plants could be given a new lease of life and help China reach its decarbonisation goals under a bold proposal.

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Africa

‘Grow potatoes’: AI helps farmers weather climate change

Malawi’s food crisis is a huge concern, but artificial intelligence is helping farmers identify crop diseases and forecast drought.

Alex Maere, right, uses an AI chatbot with a fellow farmer in southern Malawi in July. Photo: AP
China and climate change

Opinion | Why it makes sense for green-tech exporter China to ramp up coal power

A domestic ‘coal cushion’ ensures grid stability so China can keep exporting solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles at scale.

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Wind turbines are seen on July 3 on Meihua mountain in southwest China’s Guizhou province, which in recent years has accelerated the construction of advanced coal-fired power plants alongside wind and solar power units. Photo: Xinhua
Climate change

Opinion | 3 climate misconceptions that add to noise over energy and net zero

Confusion over power vs electricity, energy input vs output and net zero vs zero emission does not help the already complex climate conversation.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China, already world’s new-energy leader, is not taking its foot off the pedal

Major infrastructure projects have amped up China’s renewable-energy storage, and 25 per cent of all consumed energy could come from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2030.

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