Climate change is triggering a migrant crisis in Vietnam

Theconversation

The Vietnamese Mekong Delta is one of Earth’s most agriculturally productive regions and is of global importance for its exports of rice, shrimp, and fruit. The 18m inhabitants of this low-lying river delta are also some of the world’s most vulnerable to climate change. Over the last ten years around 1.7m people have migrated out of its vast expanse of fields, rivers and canals while only 700,000 have arrived.

On a global level migration to urban areas remains as high as ever: one person in every 200 moves from rural areas to the city every year. Against this backdrop it is difficult to attribute migration to individual causes, not least because it can be challenging to find people who have left a region in order to ask why they went and because every local context is unique. But the high net rate of migration away from Mekong Delta provinces is more than double the national average, and even higher in its most climate-vulnerable areas. This implies that there is something else – probably climate-related – going on here. Tiếp tục đọc “Climate change is triggering a migrant crisis in Vietnam”

What species is most fit for life? All have an equal chance, scientists say

Sciencedaily.com
Elephants and giant sequoias have no advantage over algae and bacteria

January 8, 2018 Source:SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestrySummary:There are more than 8 million species of living things on Earth, but none of them — from 100-foot blue whales to microscopic bacteria — has an advantage over the others in the universal struggle for existence.A trio of scientists report that regardless of vastly different body size, location and life history, most species are equally ‘fit’ in the struggle for existence.

There are more than 8 million species of living things on Earth, but none of them — from 100-foot blue whales to microscopic bacteria — has an advantage over the others in the universal struggle for existence.

In a paper published Jan. 8 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, a trio of scientists from universities in the United States and the United Kingdom describe the dynamic that began with the origin of life on Earth 4 billion years ago. They report that regardless of vastly different body size, location and life history, most plant, animal and microbial species are equally “fit” in the struggle for existence. This is because each transmits approximately the same amount of energy over its lifetime to produce the next generation of its species. Tiếp tục đọc “What species is most fit for life? All have an equal chance, scientists say”

Five things to know about the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation summit

TĐH: We don’t hear discussion on the VNese media about this China-pushed five-year development plan at all. I wonder if Vietnam will have a public discussion about this plan, or whoever attending the LMC summit will just simply approve the plan on behalf of Vietnam?

 

scmp: Five-year development plan, including construction of hydropower dams, is expected to top agenda at Mekong River nations’ conference in Cambodia

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 09 January, 2018, 8:03am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 09 January, 2018, 2:57pm

When China and the leaders of nations along the Mekong River meet on Wednesday at the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation summit in Cambodia, a top item will be mapping out a five-year development plan that would include building hydropower dams and other projects for the region – pointing to its importance in China’s ambitious belt and road infrastructure plan.

But while the cooperation mechanism was created to help ease tension over development projects, environmentalists remain unsatisfied.

Concern is growing that the potential for causing ecological damage will make the Mekong a flashpoint for China and Southeast Asia’s territorial disputes – effectively creating a new South China Sea.

Amid the backdrop of the river’s importance in connecting Europe through Southeast Asia and beyond in the grand infrastructure programme launched by President Xi Jinping, Chinese delegation leader Premier Li Keqiang will be looking to bolster China’s influence in the Mekong region as he faces his counterparts from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

Here are five key things to know about the summit and the significance of the Mekong River:

1. The river’s significance for China and Southeast Asia

Tiếp tục đọc “Five things to know about the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation summit”

Forty per cent of global e-waste comes from Asia

Forty per cent of global e-waste comes from Asia

Copyright: Panos

Speed read

  • E-waste generated in 2016 equivalent to 4,500 Eiffel Towers
  • Asian countries account for 40 per cent of the discarded goods
  • Developing countries still lack formal e-waste recycling systems

scidev.net_[NEW DELHI] Humans generated a staggering 44.7 million metric tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) in 2016 — the equivalent of 4,500 Eiffel Towers, and five per cent more than the electrical and electronic goods discarded just two years earlier, says a new study.

The trend is set to continue, with volumes of e-waste expected to rise to 52.2 million metric tonnes by 2021. Tiếp tục đọc “Forty per cent of global e-waste comes from Asia”

Critical Issues to Watch in 2018

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ipsnews_Martin Khor is Executive Director of the South Centre, a think tank for developing countries, based in Geneva

More than 480 billion plastic bottles were sold in the world in 2016, in 2018 we can expect international cooperation to reduce the use of plastic and how to treat plastic waste. Credit: Athar Parvaiz/IPS

PENANG, Malaysia, Jan 2 2018 (IPS) – Another new year has dawned, and on a world facing serious disruption on many fronts.  What are the trends and issues to watch out for in 2018?

One obvious answer is to anticipate how Donald Trump, the most unorthodox of American Presidents, will continue to upset the world order.  But more about that later.

Just as importantly as politics, we are now in the midst of several social and environmental trends that have important long-lasting effects.  Some are on the verge of reaching a tipping point, where a long-term trend produces critical and sometimes irreversible events. We may see some of that in 2018.
Tiếp tục đọc “Critical Issues to Watch in 2018”

1MDB looms large in Asian banks’ war on money laundering

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— Anti-Corruption News Story Curated by Anti-Corruption Digest International Risk & Compliance News

It would be difficult to write about money laundering controls in Asia without mentioning 1MDB, a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund embroiled in an ongoing international money laundering scandal. Yet, when Risk.net contacted six of the banks penalised for the wrong-doing to talk about lessons learned, our enquiries were greeted with either radio silence or a flat ‘no’.

One reason for this reticence could be a reluctance to show their hand to money launderers. But another is likely to be a fear of publicising anti-money laundering (AML) breaches – a sometimes bigger worry than the risk of regulatory fines.
Tiếp tục đọc “1MDB looms large in Asian banks’ war on money laundering”

Brazil announces end to Amazon mega-dam building policy

Can We Prevent a Global Energy Crisis From Bitcoin Mining?

Unchecked bitcoin mining could equal the world's current electricity consumption.

Unchecked bitcoin mining could equal the world’s current electricity consumption

Put it on camera: How to get into scientific film- and video-making

nature_It’s easier than ever to learn how to produce captivating clips that can boost your scientific outreach — or open the door to a new job.
Filming in Yellowstone

Biologist Stephani Gordon turned to freelance film-making to capture nature and science research on camera.Credit: Audrey Hall

Stephani Gordon has filmed squid in the Gulf of California, a nineteenth-century whaling boat in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands and a search for Amelia Earhart’s plane in the central Pacific. In 2017, she shot footage off the coast of Mexico of pelagic creatures such as the paper nautilus (Argonauta nouryi) and vampire jellyfish (Vampyrocrossota childressi).

Gordon, sole proprietor of Open Boat Films in Portland, Oregon, spent more than a decade working as a field biologist, studying seabirds, sharks and other marine animals. But from 2004 to 2005, while working as a marine-ecosystem research specialist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Honolulu, Hawaii, she served as a field guide for two nature photographers and was impressed by the large audience their images drew. Tiếp tục đọc “Put it on camera: How to get into scientific film- and video-making”

The crime family at the centre of Asia’s animal trafficking network

theguardian

Bach brothers based in Vietnam and Thailand are responsible for smuggling thousands of tonnes of elephant ivory, rhino horn and other endangered species

Bach Mai aka ‘Boonchai’ (left) and his brother Bach Van Limh are key players who control the smuggling gateway from Thailand into Laos.
 Bach Mai aka ‘Boonchai’ (left) and his brother Bach Van Limh are key players who control the smuggling gateway from Thailand into Laos.

There is a simple reason why there is always trouble in Nakhon Phanom. It is the reason why the US air force came here during the Vietnam war, and the reason why this dull and dusty town in north-east Thailand now serves as a primary gateway on the global animal trafficking highway. It is all to do with Tiếp tục đọc “The crime family at the centre of Asia’s animal trafficking network”

Top 10 HAPPY environmental stories of 2017

Mongabay.com

  • Throughout 2017, scientists discovered new populations of rare wildlife, and rediscovered some species that were previously thought to be extinct.
  • Some countries created large marine protected areas, while a few others granted land rights to indigenous communities.
  • In 2017, we also saw the ever-increasing potential of technology to improve conservation monitoring and efforts.

The past year may have seemed like doom and gloom for the environment, but there was plenty to be thankful for. So once again, we bring you some of the happier environmental stories of 2017 (in no particular order). These include rediscoveries of species that were once thought to be extinct, local communities being granted land rights, and the emergence of new technologies that are boosting conservation efforts.

1. New populations of rare wildlife were found

This year, conservationists discovered some new populations of threatened wildlife. Take, for example, the helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil). A research team recorded a new and “unexpectedly rich population” of this critically endangered bird in western Borneo. For a species that is now nearly extinct because of poaching, this discovery boosts hope for its future.

It was good news for the Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) as well. Surveys in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Maiko National Park revealed several previously uncounted individuals of Grauer’s gorillas in just 1 percent of the park. The researchers think that there might be many more gorillas living inside the largely unexplored 10,885-square-kilometer (4,000-square-mile) park. Tiếp tục đọc “Top 10 HAPPY environmental stories of 2017”

Ivory trade in China is now banned

by  on 2 January 2018

China’s high-speed train plans in Southeast Asia stumble

Disagreements over costs and land procurement are adding years to schedules

asia.nikkei.com

YUKAKO ONO, Nikkei staff writer

Officials attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the rail project linking Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, on Dec. 21 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. (Photo by Yukako Ono).

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand Exports of high-speed railway systems by China to Southeast Asian nations are lagging behind schedule due to problems over cost sharing and delays in land procurement.

A China-led project in Thailand is finally about to get underway, two years after a groundbreaking ceremony for a part of the route. But the outlook for connecting the line with China’s planned pan-Asian railway network is still dim.

The situation is a matter of concern to China as high-speed railway exports represent a core of the Belt and Road Initiative to reinforce its relations with neighboring countries through infrastructure projects.

The Thai government on Dec. 21 held a groundbreaking ceremony for a 250km, 179 billion baht ($5.46 billion) high-speed rail project linking Bangkok and the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Tiếp tục đọc “China’s high-speed train plans in Southeast Asia stumble”

Vietnam loses $2.4 billion as deep-water port has insufficient infrastructure

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam spent big money to build a deep-water port but did not build infrastructure for ships to go in and out of the port.

vietnam economy, business news, vn news, vietnamnet bridge, english news, Vietnam news, news Vietnam, vietnamnet news, vn news, Vietnam net news, Vietnam latest news, Vietnam breaking news, SOE, CMIT, deep water port, Hai Phong Port

Vietnam has spent bit money to build ports

Ho Kim Lan, secretary general of the Vietnam Port Association (VPA), said 80 percent of container imports and exports still have to go through small ports and vessels. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam loses $2.4 billion as deep-water port has insufficient infrastructure”