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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.
Participants lie on the ground on Berlin’s Pariser Platz and simulate death during a demonstration on July 20 to push for heat-protection laws in the city. Photo: dpa
Climate change

Study estimates 2,300 died in Europe’s first summer heatwave

Of these deaths, around 1,500 can be linked to global warming, scientists say.

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Business of climate change

UK start-up Barocal wins US$1 million TERA-Award for green energy innovation

Science

Chinese team says carbon dioxide can be turned into sugar

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Business of climate change

China spins up offshore wind energy as Beijing promotes marine economy

Country on track to double offshore capacity additions this year, report from Global Energy Monitor says.

Offshore wind turbines stand in the waters of Laizhou City, in east China’s Shandong Province, on January 7, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Semiconductors

A third of chip supply threatened by climate change by 2035: PwC

The acceleration of climate change may prove calamitous for semiconductor production, which relies on copper, a new report says.

China energy security

Solar energy milestone: China taps the ocean in breakthrough for industry

The Qingdao-based project is projected to boost offshore power and help cut emissions by 14,000 tonnes annually.

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Asean

Opinion | How Asian businesses can compete with China’s apex predators

China’s growing supply chains offer short-term opportunities but Asia must quickly learn from how it tests and strategically nurtures firms.

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A costumed actor poses in front of a car at the BYD booth during the Shanghai Auto show in in China on April 25. Photo: EPA-EFE
Open Questions series

Open Questions | US-China science faltering on ‘political distrust’, Simon says

Geopolitical tension between the US and China is spilling into science, hindering joint research and imperilling a cornerstone collaboration agreement, according to Denis Simon.

US-China trade war

US Senate, passing Trump bill, bars energy tax credits for China-linked firms

House of Representatives must still approve legislation, which also ends ‘de minimis’ customs protections, before sending it to White House.

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Business of climate change

Cloudy with a chance of bankruptcy: US tariffs hurt China’s solar firms

One-third of China’s 121 listed solar producers are in the red; more than 50 along the supply chain have filed for bankruptcy this year.

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Illustration by Henry Wong
Science

China-led study proposes global green-energy network to solve power crisis

Researchers evaluate global solar-wind potential to develop a phased pathway to a fully coordinated system by the 2050s.

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China’s technological capabilities are likely to shape a global energy system, according to scientists studying the possibilities and logistics of a global network. Photo: AFP

Video | Japan’s researchers develop ocean-friendly plastic

US-China relations

Opinion | Why shutting out Chinese manufacturers is a missed opportunity

It’s a matter of time before Chinese products find their way into the markets anyway – trade barriers achieve very little without industrial policy.

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Britain

Solar panel ‘revolution’ planned for new homes, says UK

The government says new builds will also have low-carbon heating, like heat pumps, and high levels of energy efficiency, cutting bills and boosting nation’s energy security.

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Britain’s government wants all new homes to have solar panels. File photo: Reuters
Science

US still king of critical tech, but China quickly closing gaps: report

Contrary to other global trackers, university’s tech race scorecard puts US in front in critical fields with China gaining from ‘research achievements, human capital’.

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A staff member stands under a robotic hand at an exhibition centre at Beijing Robotics Industrial Park last month. According to a Harvard report, China largely trails the US in all key technology fields, but it is steadily narrowing the gaps, despite structural challenges. Photo: Reuters
Nepal

Swiss Birch glacier collapse is a chilling warning to Asia

At-risk regions like the Himalayas would benefit from the early-warning system which averted mass casualties in Switzerland, experts say.

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Hong Kong environmental issues

Hong Kong to impose new emission caps on local power plants from 2030

Authorities to further cut annual allowances for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and respirable suspended particulates by up to 25 per cent.

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Climate change

Opinion | With China’s leadership, green industry growth can smooth trade turmoil

Clean energy and climate investments are not just environmental imperatives but economic opportunities. China is already a world leader in these.

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Wind turbines stretch into the distance in Dabancheng, China’s “wind valley”, in Xinjiang on January 17. Photo: Xinhua
Science

Could dinosaurs walk on massive glaciers? Oyster fossil offers clue

‘Reductions in Arctic and Antarctic ice are expected to continue, potentially leading to completely ice-free polar regions’: paper.

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Science

Amid climate and US sanction pressures, China builds mighty ocean simulator

Clarity offered by ultra-high-resolution ocean ‘microscope’ will help scientists better predict extreme weather events, Xinhua report says.

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Science

Chinese scientists unlock gene secret at root of drought-tolerant rice

Lead author Zhong Liyuan says it would take 8-10 years to produce a stable and widely adoptable rice variety through crossbreeding.

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In China, where a rice research team says it found the genetic answer to deeper roots and better drought tolerance, rice production accounts for 70 per cent of agricultural water consumption and half of national water consumption. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Tourism

Why cruise lines face near impossible sustainability goal

Cruise companies are heeding the call to be more sustainable but critics have a point: much more needs to be done.

A medium-sized liner can emit as much pollution as 12,000 cars, according to the Marine Pollution Bulletin. Photo: Shutterstock
China technology

Opinion | How China’s agricultural modernisation is reshaping global food systems

As sufficiency improves for China and the countries it shares its agriculture+AI strategy with, regional and global trade could be reshaped.

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Climate change

Opinion | China must resist greenwashing its dirty coal habit with green bonds

Can China credibly claim climate leadership while doubling down on its dirtiest fuel?

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Hong Kong environmental issues

Hong Kong forests can store over 7 million tonnes of carbon, study finds

Conservancy Association releases findings of three-year study on carbon storage capacity of more than 100 tree species native to Hong Kong.

Woodlands make up a quarter of the city’s 111,900 hectares of land. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Science

‘No quick wins’: China has the world’s first operational thorium nuclear reactor

Team working on project reportedly achieves milestone by completing fuel reloading while experimental molten salt reactor was running.

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Thorium is a radioactive element that is abundant in the Earth’s crust. Illustration: Shutterstock
Science

On way to nuclear fusion, Chinese HL-3 reactor hits ‘dual 100 million degrees’

‘These systems now rank among the best in the world, and they’ve helped set multiple records in China’s fusion research,’ chief designer says.

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Environment

Black carbon: the super pollutant melting Asia’s glaciers

While CO2 gets the spotlight, black carbon’s potent, short-lived warming effect is pushing Asia’s glaciers past the tipping point.

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