Today, the world’s attention is focused on COVID-19 and the threat it poses. And rightly so.
Across the globe, significant resources have been marshalled to tackle the health care, economic and social challenges posed by COVID-19. Over the past nine months, CNA has and will continue to play its part by providing accurate and timely news reporting to explain the latest developments on COVID-19 as well as its toll on society with clarity and compassion.
However, CNA also has its eye on an important long-term “existential” crisis - climate change.
A year ago, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong put climate change on the national agenda, describing it as “one of the gravest challenges facing humankind”. Noting that climate change defences are “existential for us”, he warned that this is a matter of “life and death”.
Against this backdrop, CNA is committing to significant and sustained coverage of climate change. In the coming months, CNA will strengthen our climate coverage. Today we are launching a section dedicated to climate change coverage on our website – cna.asia – and app.
We will be producing regular news reports, short features and long-form documentaries on the effects, defences and trade-offs of climate change across Asia for television and YouTube. Later this month, we will launch a podcast called The Climate Conversations on digital and CNA938.
We will also work with like-minded organisations to provide open access to factual and contextual reporting on climate change.
Early next year, depending on the COVID-19 situation, we hope to host a CNA Leadership Summit on Climate Change which will give our audience access to some of the top Asian thought leaders in climate change. We hope that these efforts underline CNA’s commitment to quality environmental journalism, rooted in scientific fact.
Amid pockets of delusional denial, we will explain the science, as clearly as possible, for as wide an audience as possible. We will also explain the breadth of the impact of climate change.
Singapore cannot isolate itself from the effects of climate change. As global temperatures rise, sea levels will rise. Rainfall has become more intense in recent years and could overwhelm drainage systems and lead to flash floods. Climate change will impact biodiversity and alter ecosystems. Higher temperatures raise the spectre of vector-borne diseases, heat stress and will threaten global food security.
Climate change is not just an issue for future generations. It is happening today and it creates uncertainties and trade-offs for policy makers, companies and individuals.
Even as Singapore and the world at large set targets for action, e.g. in achieving net-zero emissions, we will track how countries and societies in Asia are managing in meeting these targets. We will celebrate the successes, but also draw attention to those who may face implementation challenges, tougher trade-offs or lag behind.
Amid these challenges, we will also spotlight innovations and breakthroughs from the adoption of alternative and clean energies to new green financing. CNA will seek out stories that tell of optimism, resilience and the ability of societies to adapt to climate change.
Most importantly, we will tell the stories of people. People who have been and will be affected. We will tell the stories of the most vulnerable, especially those in Asia and Southeast Asia.
Asia’s story on climate change is not just about sustainability. In some cases it is about survival. Where necessary, we will describe what is before us as we see it - a crisis. A climate crisis.
We invite you to continue to read, watch and listen to CNA, as we embark on this multi-year commitment to covering climate change.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale of popular short-video app TikTok to Microsoft, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday (Aug 2).
The negotiations between ByteDance and Microsoft will be overseen by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a US government panel that has the right to block any agreement, the sources added.
ByteDance, Microsoft and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
THIMPHU: High up in the mountains of Bhutan’s north, ancient glaciers punctuate a stunning, ethereal landscape. This landscape is a special one, enwrapped in myth and mystery.
It is pristine land, largely untouched by humanity. Culture-driven conservation has endured here.
The region’s tallest peaks have never been scaled by man, nor have its picturesque lakes been disturbed. It is out of respect - locals believe the mountains, lakes and glaciers are deities, to be honoured and feared.
Yet it is the impacts of manmade global emissions that is slowly destroying them nonetheless. Rising temperatures as a result of climate change is accelerating the rate of glacial melt in Bhutan’s highlands. In the silence of the mountain, now, danger looms - a killer that could unleash at any moment.
Glaciers are spiritually important for Bhutan, as well as being a critical resource. (Photo: NCHM)
For some glaciers, annual retreat levels are up to 35m, feeding massive amounts of water into surrounding lakes. The risk of these lakes collapsing - in a phenomenon known as a glacial lake outburst flood or GLOF - has the entire country on edge.
“With global warming, glaciers are melting and our water resources are moving faster downstream. We call it a tsunami in the sky, that can come anytime,” said Karma Drupchu, the national director of the country’s National Center for Hydrology & Meteorology (NCHM).
“Any kind of breach will result in a huge flood coming down the stream. It will have huge consequences because more than 70 per cent of Bhutan settlements are along the river valleys ... not only loss of life, but huge economic loss,” he said.
There are 17 glacial lakes in Bhutan considered potentially dangerous and at risk of bursting. (Photo: NCHM)
Analysis by NCHM has identified 2674 glacial lakes, of which 17 are categorised as potentially dangerous. Further accelerated melting of the country’s 700 individual glaciers means more lakes are being formed and the dangers for the country’s population and infrastructure is increasing.
Bhutan is the only carbon negative country in the world and it takes its role in preventing global climate change seriously. The country’s constitution mandates the protection of the environment and economically lucrative but environmentally damaging industries have been rejected in favour of conservation.
But the brunt of climate change has arrived regardless of this small nation’s resistance. For Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, the impact on glaciers is both a physical and spiritual burden for Bhutan to carry.
Warm summers and a lack of snow in winters is resulting in greater glacial declines. (Photo: Jack Board)
“It concerns us a lot because from a spiritual point of view, it’s not just a pool of water. Spiritually, we believe that there is life in it, we respect that and environmentally it is a fact that we are losing our glaciers to global warming,” he told CNA in an exclusive interview.
“We’re under constant threat and that is the most unfair part.”
He added: “Glaciers that are lost, are lost forever. How many lives, not just human beings, but other lives are dependent on that? Not just the country and the economy but the whole lifecycle will be destroyed. but soon in coming generations there may not be any lakes to burst. That would be a real disaster”.
About 70 per cent of Bhutan's settlements are along the river valleys. (Photo: Jack Board)
GLOFs have happened before in Bhutan and the impact remains in the memories of those who have experienced such a disaster. Small incidents are relatively common in the lakes region, but the last major event to crescendo towards populated areas was back in 1994.
Doley, a former head of Richena village in Punakha remembers that day well. After Luggye Lake burst, vast amounts of floodwaters tore down the Pho Chhu River, bringing with it damaging debris.
“I was right here in the village, in my house. Suddenly an old relative who was living with us at the time, frantically screamed at me to look out of the window. I dashed to the window and looked below. What I saw terrified me, the 75-year-old recounted.
The village of Richena was hit by a damaging flood in 1994. (Photo: Jack Board)
“The river had swollen to a dark and muddy river and upon it sat hundreds of fresh uprooted trees and logs including large swathes of undergrowth. I was beyond petrified that it was going to destroy lives and properties and there was nothing I could do,” he said.
Twenty five years ago, there was no warning for villagers living along the river. The 1994 flood killed 21 people and caused extensive damage to agricultural land, destroyed houses and wiped out fish stocks in the river.
EARLY WARNING SYSTEM IN PLACE
Since then, scientists have more closely examined the lakes and the impacts of temperature on their stability.
Now, a sophisticated early-warning system is installed throughout the lake and river system to give people the best chance to act before a flood hits.
The bridge at Punakha's iconic dzong would be at risk from a future GLOF. (Photo: Jack Board)
“They are worried. They know the glacial lake is going to burst at any time due to global warming,” said Tshewang Phuntsho, an officer from the Department of Disaster Management in Punakha.
“But at the same time, we are also prepared,” he added, explaining that simulation drills and awareness campaigns are building resilience among at-risk populations.
Glaciologists at NCHM have also been physically examining the dangerous lakes on an annual basis. Some require even more intense monitoring - like Thorthormi Lake in the Lunana region, which is considered the most volatile glacial lake in Bhutan.
Locals say there are worried about the risks of GLOFs, but preparations are better than in the past. (Photo: Jack Board)
Two personnel are stationed permanently near its edge to visually monitor any changes or risks. The nearby community would have only an estimated 30 minutes to evacuate in the event of an outburst.
“Some lakes are nearly impossible to reach there. But most of the potentially dangerous ones, we went there and did the ground checks”, said NCHM executive geologist, Phuntsho Tshering.
“As a glaciologist and a scientist, seeing them is quite scary. If something pushes down, the barriers cannot hold. We know something is happening up there, it’s not safe, it’s critical,” he said.
Bhutan wants to continue to tap the potential of its water resources, despite the risks. (Photo: Jack Board)
Despite recent efforts to lower the lake’s levels using a team of physical labourers with handpicks and other simple tools in the freezing waters, there are few viable options to mitigate the dangers.
Nearly all of the lakes are at high altitude where temperature increases are amplified compared to low-lying areas.
Record temperatures were recorded in 2019 around Bhutan’s most dangerous glacial lakes, 4,500m above sea level.
Warmer summers and winters without snow is contributing to the glacial decline and extreme rain events in the Himalayas is adding pressure to lake capacity.
If Thorthormi was to burst, there are dire forecasts about the resulting damage to the small but fertile valleys downriver, which Bhutanese rely upon - 70 per cent of the country’s population depends on subsistence agriculture.
Forested areas could be wiped out and significant religious buildings such as the Punakha dzong could face devastation.
National modelling suggests river flows could be severely compromised by 2050 due to climate change. (Photo: Jack Board)
HYDROPOWER SECTOR AT RISK
Perhaps even more crucially is the risk to Bhutan’s hydropower sector, which the national economy has come to overwhelmingly rely upon as a major revenue driver via exports to neighbouring India.
Clean energy is also one of the ways Bhutan is offsetting regional emissions. A powerful GLOF could wreak havoc on critical power-generating infrastructure.
“Our biggest revenue is from hydropower as of today and the hydropower we have is very highly climate dependent. We have realised that and we are a little worried about that,” the prime minister said.
Two of the biggest and most crucial projects are being constructed on the same system, downriver from Thorthormi Lake - the 1200 megawatt Punatsangchu-I and 1020 megawatt Punatsangchu-II.
Both are run-of-river, meaning that they rely on natural flow to generate electricity. With projections that the flow of rivers in Bhutan may be majorly compromised by 2050 due to shifting rain patterns, this approach may need to change.
Hydropower is Bhutan's most important industry. (Photo: Jack Board)
The most ambitious hydropower project in Bhutan’s history - more than twice as large as any other - will be different.
The Sankosh dam will be built as a large-scale reservoir, environmentally more disruptive, but more resilient to climate change. It is a tough concession to make in a nation that has vigorous screening of all of its infrastructure projects through the Gross National Happiness Commission.
Despite a triple threat - from GLOFS, earthquakes and river reliability - the government is keen to press on.
“Sankosh would be one mega hydropower project we’d like to start and then see how it does for the next decade or so. If the climate change becomes more dependable, if it settles down a bit, we can embark onto the next project. We have to be very careful with this,” said the prime minister.
“Water is the only possible resource that we have to generate because of conservation efforts,” said Drupchu of NCHM.
“We could go for logging and become rich, but the conservation and protection of the environment is the top priority. If you don’t utilise the water, it will automatically flow down. The money is more or less flowing. So why don’t we tap it?”
Scientists describe the situation as "scary" at high-altitude lakes. (Photo: Jack Board)
Whether these decisions prove to be prudent will depend on nature. Like a coastal community on alert for a future tsunami, life must go on. But there is trepidation.
Every time a Bhutanese scientist begins work at a glacial lake, there will be prayers and offerings to the deity believed to be contained within. It is both a cultural duty and a cautionary measure.
“We appeal to them that we are not doing this for fun,” said Tshering, the geologist. “This is for safeguarding the people.”
MANILA: The Philippines will reimpose a stricter coronavirus lockdown in and around the capital for two weeks from Tuesday, authorities said on Sunday (Aug 2), as the country struggles to contain infections that have jumped to more than 100,000 cases.
President Rodrigo Duterte has approved placing Metro Manila and nearby provinces such as Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan under so-called "Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine" (MECQ) until Aug 18, his spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.
Some businesses and public transport are expected to be closed in the capital, which is currently under the less restrictive General Community Quarantine classification.
Work and quarantine passes will also be required, as authorities seek to restrict movements.
Duterte's move came after 80 local groups representing 80,000 doctors and a million nurses called for tighter controls, saying the country was losing the fight against the coronavirus.
"I have heard you. Don't lose hope. We are aware that you are tired," Duterte said late on Sunday, addressing the medical frontliners during a televised speech after meeting cabinet members and his coronavirus task force.
The Philippines recorded 5,032 additional infections on Sunday, the country's largest single-day increase, taking its confirmed coronavirus cases to 103,185. The death toll jumped by 20 to 2,059.
This is the second highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, behind Indonesia.
Duterte also approved the hiring of 10,000 medical professionals to beef up the current workforce and additional benefits for healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients, Roque said.
In mid-March, Duterte imposed one of the world's longest and strictest lockdowns in the capital and other provinces to curb the coronavirus spread.
He began easing restrictions in June in an effort to revive the domestic economy, which is now facing its biggest contraction in more than three decades.
HONG KONG: Seven Chinese health officials arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday (Aug 2), the first members of a 60-person team that will carry out widespread COVID-19 testing in the territory as it races to halt a third wave of illness.
The initiative marks the first time mainland health officials have assisted Hong Kong in its battle to control the epidemic.
The city has reported around 3,500 coronavirus cases and 34 deaths since January, far lower than many other global metropolitan centres. But the daily number of new infections has been in three digits for the past 12 days.
Members of the testing team, co-ordinated by the Chinese government, are mostly from public hospitals in Guangdong province, China's National Health Commission said.
A group of local Hong Kong councillors said on Sunday that some local residents fear China may use their presence as an opportunity to collect DNA samples for surveillance purposes.
The territory's government denied the claims, saying virus testing would only be conducted in the city and samples would not be transported to the mainland.
Leader Carrie Lam said on Saturday the former British colony asked for help from the central government due to the resurgence in cases. She said the government was studying whether everyone in Hong Kong could be tested, local broadcaster RTHK reported on Saturday.
The Chinese territory saw a surge in locally transmitted coronavirus cases in July and introduced a raft of tightening measures including restricting gatherings to two people and mandating face masks in all outdoor public spaces.
Hong Kong has reported around 3,400 coronavirus cases and 33 deaths since January, far lower than other major cities around the world. But the daily number of new infections has been in the triple-digits for the past 11 days.
Beijing recently imposed a security law that critics say undermines Hong Kong's autonomy, which was guaranteed under a "one country, two systems" formula when the city returned to Chinese control from Britain in 1997.
MELBOURNE: Australia's Victoria declared a state of disaster on Sunday (Aug 2) and imposed a nightly curfew for the capital Melbourne as part of its harshest movement restrictions to date to contain the coronavirus.
Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, will move to Stage 4 restrictions until Sep 13 given "unacceptably high" levels of community transmission, said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews.
Starting Sunday night for the next six weeks, the city's residents will face a curfew from 8pm to 5am. They will also not be able to go further than 5km from their home and will be limited to an hour of exercise a day.
Only one person per household will be able to shop for essential items each day, also within the same 5km radius.
Australian authorities imposed strict and sweeping new measures to control a growing coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne AFP/William WEST
Most school and university students in Melbourne will return to online learning from midnight on Wednesday, just weeks after returning to their classrooms, while kindergartens and daycare centres will be effectively closed from Thursday.
Supermarkets will remain open, and restaurants, already closed for dining in, will be able to continue with their takeaway and delivery services.
Weddings will also be banned in the city. At the height of the first wave of the pandemic, weddings in Australia were limited to five people.
"These are the decisions made because anything short of this will not keep us safe," Andrews said.
"Anything short of this will see it drag on for months and months and months."
Additional restrictions affecting workplaces would be announced on Monday, Andrews added, suggesting that non-essential businesses will face closures.
The state recorded 671 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths from the virus on Sunday.
The federal government backed Victoria's measures, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying in a post on his Facebook page that they were "regrettably necessary" to stop the spread of the pandemic.
"We are all in this together and we will get through it," Morrison said.
Australia's Health Minister Greg Hunt said at a televised briefing the federal government supports the measures with a "heavy" heart.
"We do so because they will help save and protect lives," Hunt said.
The backing by the federal government, ruled by a Liberal Party-led coalition, for the measures by Victoria's Labor Party government shows national unity across the political spectrum in a country with a loose federal system.
The state of disaster gives Victoria police additional powers to ensure people are complying with public health directions.
"We have no choice but to make these decisions and to push on," Andrews said. "This is the only option we have."
Outside Melbourne, the rest of Victoria will move to a Stage 3 lockdown from midnight on Wednesday with people allowed to leave home only for work, study, care and essential shopping.
Elsewhere in Australia, other states and territories have for weeks reported zero or a small number of cases while relaxing restrictions.
They have, however, banned visitors from Victoria and Sydney - another virus hotspot.
Australia's total reported COVID-19 infections reached almost 18,000 on Sunday, with 208 deaths in a population of 25 million.
MELBOURNE: Australia's Victoria declared a state of disaster on Sunday (Aug 2) and imposed a nightly curfew for the capital Melbourne as part of its harshest movement restrictions to date to contain the coronavirus.
Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, will move to Stage 4 restrictions until Sep 13 given "unacceptably high" levels of community transmission, said Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews.
Starting Sunday night for the next six weeks, the city's residents will face a curfew from 8pm to 5am. They will also not be able to go further than 5km from their home and will be limited to an hour of exercise a day.
Only one person per household will be able to shop for essential items each day, also within the same 5km radius.
Australian authorities imposed strict and sweeping new measures to control a growing coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne AFP/William WEST
Most school and university students in Melbourne will return to online learning from midnight on Wednesday, just weeks after returning to their classrooms, while kindergartens and daycare centres will be effectively closed from Thursday.
Weddings will also be banned in the city. At the height of the first wave of the pandemic, weddings in Australia were limited to five people.
"These are the decisions made because anything short of this will not keep us safe," Andrews said.
"Anything short of this will see it drag on for months and months and months."
Additional restrictions affecting workplaces would be announced on Monday, Andrews added, suggesting that non-essential businesses will face closures.
The state recorded 671 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths from the virus on Sunday.
Outside Melbourne, the rest of Victoria will move to a Stage 3 lockdown from midnight on Wednesday with people allowed to leave home only for work, study, care and essential shopping.
Elsewhere in Australia, other states and territories have for weeks reported zero or a small number of cases while relaxing restrictions.
They have, however, banned visitors from Victoria and Sydney - another virus hotspot.
Australia's total reported COVID-19 infections reached almost 18,000 on Sunday, with 208 deaths in a population of 25 million.
