More people around the world are looking to courts to order governments and companies to take action against global warming, arguing they have a fundamental right to be protected from climate change. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Policy Asia

Japan group sues utilities, claiming climate inaction violates human rights

Country's first youth-led climate litigation comes as regional, global cases multiply

18 October 2024
Taiwan's Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming speaks with Nikkei Asia in Taipei. (Photo by Cheng Ting-fang)
Interview

Taiwan to adopt tough new carbon cutting targets, environment czar says

Peng Chi-ming says chip superpower's exclusion from COP29 is world's loss

16 October 2024
A woman wearing a summer kimono uses a portable fan in the shade of a tree in Tokyo in July as the Japanese government issued heat stroke alerts in 39 of the country's 47 prefectures.
Opinion

COP29 is our best chance to address the devastation of climate change

Record heatwaves and rainfalls underscore Asia's vulnerability

14 October 2024
Researchers around the world are working on technologies to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by power plants.
Climate Change

Japan eyes new tech to trap CO2 from power plants in basalt

Joint project hopes to use the common rock to store greenhouse gas underground

13 October 2024
An eRex biomass power plant in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. The company is building similar facilities in Vietnam. (Photo by Nikkei)
Energy

Japan's eRex breaks ground on 2 more Vietnam biomass plants

Electric utility eyes 18 facilities in Southeast Asian country by 2030

11 October 2024
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at the first Asia Zero Emission Community summit in Tokyo in December 2023.
Climate Change

Southeast Asia to adopt Japan's emission reporting system

Asia Zero Emission Community pact will propel Japanese business expansion

8 October 2024
Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant in Vietnam. (Photo by Reuters)
Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: The green energy crunch

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

20 September 2024
Power grids have become the primary bottleneck for expanding clean energy use in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Datawatch

Renewable energy wasted worldwide due to lack of power grids

Power equal to 480 nuclear reactors unused in U.S. and Europe

14 September 2024
With the state-backed ESG fund expected to stimulate the market, one brokerage forecasts the SET Index to rise 5% by the end of the year. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Markets

Thai stock market rallies as state-backed $4.5bn fund gears up

Benchmark SET index nears 2024 high, lifted by companies with high ESG ratings

7 September 2024
Green Rubber Energy's technology offers an alternative to burning waste tires. (Green Rubber Energy)
Climate Change

Japan's Marubeni takes stake in Thailand tire recycling company

Trading house buys into technology that recovers carbon black

6 September 2024
The new venture will solidify state energy company Petronas's standing in the biofuels value chain beyond trading and offer sustainable solutions to reduce carbon emissions.
Energy

Petronas, Enilive and Euglena to jointly develop biorefinery in Malaysia

The plant at Pengerang Integrated Complex in Johor state is expected to be operational by 2028

26 July 2024
About a third of Inpex's additional spending will go to developing onshore wind power in Australia. (Inpex)
Energy

Japan's Inpex picks Australia for $1.25bn renewable energy buildup

Gas and oil driller seeks to create export hub for green hydrogen

13 July 2024
Breaking down coal at a yard in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Nov. 23, 2021. Climate change, worsening heat waves and parched dams are cutting India's hydroelectricity production and leading to the encroachment of coal mining projects on rural communities.
The Big Story

India's climate crisis: New coal mining spreads as heat waves drain hydro dams

Remote communities desperate to protect nature take up bows and arrows to scare off mine officials

10 July 2024
Vietnam is expected to expand its use of solar power and other renewable energy sources.
Energy

HSBC lends $23m for Malaysian firm's Vietnam solar project

Power plant offsets 75,000 tonnes of carbon in top ASEAN solar producer

9 July 2024
Offshore wind turbines in the Taiwan Strait. The island is looking to increase its use of renewable energy to feed rapidly growing demand for power.  
Supply Chain

Taiwan's top power cable maker ventures into offshore wind

Walsin Lihwa sees opportunity in island's shift to renewable energy

8 July 2024
Years of bogus sales and accounts receivable, combined with rising input costs, left the company unable to repay its debts in early 2023. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Stark website)
Market Spotlight

Fraud trial exposes shortfalls in Thai corporate governance

Wire maker Stark's scandal ensnares Kasikornbank, Deloitte and Credit Suisse

8 July 2024
Drought-stricken sesame crops stand in a field in Jiangxi province, China, in August 2022.
Opinion

Empowering small farmers can combat climate risk across Asia

Why private credit and sustainable agriculture are key to cutting emissions

7 July 2024
Chinese turbine makers like Mingyang and Goldwind are expanding exports with their low prices. (Goldwind Australia)
Energy

China grows strength in wind turbines, takes top spot in key patents

Manufacturers flood global market with cheaper and larger products

2 July 2024
Indonesia and Japan agreed to cooperate on hydrogen and ammonia at a joint forum in Jakarta on May 31. (Photo by Nana Shibata)
Energy

Indonesia bets on Japan tie-up to boost its nascent hydrogen industry

Southeast Asian nation aiming to be 'key player' in global markets for the gas

30 June 2024
Women occupy a disproportionately small share of managerial posts in Japan. (Photo by Nanami Sato)
Work

Japan to require companies to report on women in management

Disclosure rule aims to tackle persistent gender gap

27 June 2024
Australia's Labor government has a legislated target of generating 82% of the country's electricity from renewable sources by 2030 to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate.
Energy

Renewable backers anxious as Australia's energy debate goes nuclear

Proposal adds uncertainty to wind and solar projects already facing hurdles

26 June 2024
The state secretary and special envoy for international climate action at the German Federal Foreign Office, Jennifer Morgan, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on June 19. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Interview

Germany to push for Chinese contributions to climate finance

Beijing has capacity to fund others, says envoy Jennifer Morgan prior to visit

20 June 2024
A zero-carbon McDonald's restaurant in Beijing: Diners can pedal bikes to generate the power to charge their phones. (VCG via AP)
Opinion

Asia should not yield opportunity to lead on climate disclosure

Regulators are pushing ahead with new rules but some companies are wavering

18 June 2024
Japan's local governments promoted development on low-lying land in the 2000s despite flood risks.
Datawatch

Japan's flood damage exacerbated by urban development

Water-related losses up by 3.5 times in 30 years as more businesses move to lowlands

16 June 2024