Climate
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Climate
Renewable Forces
On the evening of November 21, 1918 — 10 days after the signing of the armistice that ended World War I — British War Cabinet member George Curzon presided at a dinner honoring the Inter-Allied Petroleum Conference. Toasting the delegates gathered in London, Curzon declared that the Allies had “floated to victory on a wave of oil” due to their…
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Climate
Great Barrier Reef Coral Frozen in World-First Trial
Story and Photos by Reuters Scientists researching Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have successfully tested a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae that could help restore reefs damaged by climate change. Researchers are scrambling to protect coral reefs as rising ocean temperatures destabilize delicate ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef, which encompasses 3,000 individual reefs and is the biggest living…
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Climate
PRC’s growing thirst may spark tension with Russia over Lake Baikal
Tom Abke The People’s Republic of China (PRC) faces a water shortage and is eyeing Russia’s Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater lake, as a possible solution to the crisis. However, Beijing’s attempts in recent years to import water from Lake Baikal have been dampened by Russian public opposition, despite initial support from the Kremlin. As the PRC’s thirst grows,…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
NATO, partners promote rules-based Arctic, free and open sea lines of communication
FORUM Staff Melting ice caps in the Arctic are not only creating new shipping routes but also increasing competition to control them, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia jockeying to stake claims. NATO and its partners want to ensure that as opportunities arise for shorter trade passages between Europe and the Indo-Pacific, navigation remains free and open…
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Climate
In Thailand’s Deep South, Artists Strive To Alter Its ‘Violent Image’
Story and photos by Benar News The beaches in Pattani province, in the heart of Thailand’s Deep South, are pristine but mostly deserted. Outsiders hardly venture here because the mainly Muslim and Malay-speaking border region is synonymous with an armed separatist insurgency that has simmered for decades with no end in sight. But artists and residents of Pattani town, the…
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Climate
Indonesia prioritizes sustainability, security
Gusty Da Costa Indonesia is confronting security challenges triggered by climate change and the urgent need for sustainability and resilience to protect its population and ensure the effectiveness of its military. This awareness translates into action with a plan to transition from fossil fuels, measures to build resilience into its Armed Forces and the establishment of a new “sustainable forest…
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Climate
PRC’s ‘obsession with coal power’ stoking worries over deadly pollutants
FORUM Staff Even as world leaders gathered for a climate conference in Egypt in November 2022, a record drought in China continued fanning fears over that nation’s carbon dioxide emissions and the ripple effects on its strained water supply. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) — already the biggest carbon emitter, accounting for nearly one-third of the annual global total…
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian Navy to continue crucial underwater mapping in 2023
Gusty Da Costa The Indonesian Navy plans to continue mapping the country’s underwater terrain in 2023, a vital process in ensuring maritime security, setting international boundaries, protecting fisheries and enhancing navigation, among other areas. Such maps benefit many countries, thus making the effort an opportunity for international cooperation, experts say. Underwater terrain mapping remains an urgent national priority for 2023,…
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Climate
Security Threat
FORUM Staff The vast Indo-Pacific sits at the forefront of critical climate challenges that contribute to conflict, instability and forced migration. Changes in the seas and oceans, in particular, pose an increasing security threat. “Climate change-exacerbated impacts such as increasing food and water insecurity, forced migration and displacement, disaster response and recovery that does not meet expectations, and broader economic…
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Key Issues
Dialogue, cooperation keys to success for Partners of the Blue Pacific initiative, analysts say
Tom Abke Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States launched the Partners of the Blue Pacific (PBP) initiative in June 2022 to enhance cooperation with Pacific Island Countries (PICs). PBP stands in contrast to a one-sided Pacific Islands scheme recently proffered by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), according to analysts. “The PBP initiative involved prior…
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