Climate Change

Sponge City Design: Yu Kongjian

As the climate warms, some regions suffer crippling drought, while others are hit by deadly floods. Often worst hit are urban areas which suffer catastrophic water damage and loss of life when engineered drainage is breached - but one pioneering Chinese architect thinks he has the solution to urban flooding: sponge cities.

Warm Seas: Migrating Fish

There is plenty of hoohah about warming oceans and melting ice caps threatening our shoreline towns and cities. But what about the folks that live in the sea? How is the increase in sea temperature affecting them? It seems that, like humans, many species are moving away from threatened zones. It’s true - fish are emigrating.

Seaweed: The Answer to Cow Gas

Cows are bad for the environment. They constantly parp and belch out greenhouse gases as they munch on grass, and contributed the equivalent of a staggering 6,000 million tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere. But scientists in the US have discovered that a seaweed diet can help reduce bovine flatulence by a significant degree.

Climate Change and Ecotourism

Ecotourism operators 2020 are facing a double pinch – they need to please environmentally aware customers, yet they have to make sure their businesses are still capable of running effectively. This dilemma is especially stark for Asian Pacific operators who have extra challenges from both existing and potential climate change issues.

The Psychology of Disaster Recovery

It seems like 2020 has outdone itself in terms of disasters. Fire, flood, locust and plague have all hit hard across many parts of the world. Tourism, and especially ecotourism, have seen massive negative impacts as a result. Many operators are seemingly at their wits’ end trying to cope. A strategy is essential.

Climate Action Needed in Ecotourism Seasonality

Seven focus areas are recommended in the AEN Xiling Snow Mountain Declaration of Climate Change Adaptation and Redefining Ecotourism Seasonality. This is to steer the ecotourism industry towards creative thinking and timely solutions for sustainability sake.

Australian Bushfires: A Lesson from the Sahara

For almost 20 years Tony Rinaudo worked on a small reforestation project on the borders of the arid Sahara Desert. He helped turn a potential ecological collapse into a thriving agricultural success, bringing a ten-fold increase in forestation and a multi-million dollar agriculture industry. This, he says, holds a significant lesson for post-bushfire Australia

WWF Launches Plastic Smart Cities in Southeast Asia

Through Plastic Smart Cities, WWF is building cities’ capacity to eliminate plastic pollution by 2030. An online knowledge platform with best practices will be launched at the World Urban Forum in February 2020.