Earth

How environmental change is shaping Southeast Asia.

Earth • STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 19, 2017 • 6 min read

Indonesia Solving our plastic bag nightmare

By Ana Salvá • Jul 19, 2017
The creator of Bali’s biodegradable cassava starch bags says they have had “enquiries from almost every country on earth”, but some question the viability of large-scale production

Earth • STORY OF THE DAY • Jun 07, 2017 • 10 min read

Cambodia The less forests, the more floods

By Euan Black • Jun 07, 2017
Massive deforestation is playing a crucial role in the droughts that are devastating Cambodia. But despite an official ban on timber exports, forests continue to be cut down at a record rate

Earth • STORY OF THE DAY • May 17, 2017 • 8 min read

Indonesia The red-light district that everyone loves

By Gabrielle Lipton • May 17, 2017
Jakarta’s Kalijodo red-light district has been shut down, cleaned up and transformed into a vibrant public space. But the reimagining of the area didn’t come without a human cost

Earth • STORY OF THE DAY • May 13, 2017 • 4 min read

Cambodia The slow growth of organic farming

By Euan Black • May 13, 2017
Farming without chemicals brings huge benefits to both producer and consumer, but it’s a hard sell in Cambodia, where poverty is preventing large swathes of the rural population from investing in a long-term, organic future

Earth • Apr 20, 2017 • 11 min read
Climate change

Aung San Suu Kyi’s climate crisis

In 2008, Myanmar suffered its worst natural disaster on record when Cyclone Nargis swept through and the military regime hampered relief efforts. Now, the new government is struggling to find the resources needed to help protect its people from the ravages of global warming
By Fatima Arkin

Earth • Apr 07, 2017 • 7 min read
Yangon

Grand designs and crumbling colonial architecture

A new city council and a growing number of progressive architecture firms may signal fresh hope for the city's decaying colonial buildings
By Thomas Kean

Earth • Mar 31, 2017 • 11 min read
Urban Migration

Cambodia’s affordable housing crisis

Several privately funded affordable housing developments have broken ground in Cambodia but, as urban migration intensifies, can the country meet the urgent demand for social housing?
By Claire Knox

Earth • Jan 31, 2017 • 7 min read
Cambodia

The rain gamblers

Climate change could spell the end for Cambodia’s high-stakes habit of betting on the weather
By Paul Millar

Earth • Dec 29, 2016 • 7 min read
Mogok

Myanmar’s mysterious mining mecca

Myanmar’s miners have been left with little more than scraps following years of military plunder
By Feliz Solomon

Earth • Dec 12, 2016 • 7 min read
Laos

The future is underground

Home to some of the most complex rock formations in Southeast Asia, Laos looks to cash in on cave tourism
By Jennifer Meszaros

Earth • Oct 28, 2016 • 10 min read
Spirulina

The food of the future grows on a Bangkok rooftop

Are Bangkok’s fledgling rooftop farms a hidden goldmine for hotels and hospitality businesses? Meet the hoteliers and entrepreneurs proving that environment-focused partnerships are the best marketing tool a business can have
By Claire Knox

Earth • Jun 13, 2016 • 7 min read
Indonesia

Addicted to coal

As the rest of the world moves away from fossil fuels, Indonesia is reacting to a drop in its coal exports by ramping up local production, putting the country’s health, environment and economy in danger
By Nithin Coca