Deep Sea Mining

Published on Jun 8, 2020 by Luke Hunt

Scientists and environmentalists are urging an international moratorium on deep-sea mining after releasing a report indicating its impact on the Pacific Ocean and island states would be severe, extensive and last for generations.The report also said mining for polymetallic nodules, potato-sized lumps found in the seabed that contain metals used in battery manufacturing and high-tech industries, would cause “essentially irreversible damage” to the region, including Kiribati the Cook Islands, Nauru, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu.Read more from Voice of America..

Wrap: Climate Change Strikes Australia and Indonesia

Published on Jan 12, 2020 by Luke Hunt

Climate change is a reality which is changing the way humans live across the planet, from bushfires in Australia to those who rely on rivers and the oceans to sustain themselves. As always the poor are among the most vulnerable.Follow the links: Australia’s perfect firestormJakarta floods and a capital’s shift.

Wrap: Mekong River

Published on Jan 11, 2020 by Luke Hunt

The Mekong River and those who rely on it are facing tough times. Massive dam construction, climate change and drought are taking an unprecedented toll on the world’s 12th largest river and the 70 million people who rely on it.Follow the links:Mighty Mekong slows to a trickleMekong livelihoods punished by dams droughts and floodsRiver of no Return: Mekong faces a Grim FutureA Conversation with Milton Osborne on the Mekong RiverMekong River Strikes another Record LowNew Climate Change Fears, Old Mekong ProblemsFeeling the Pinch and Saying GoodbyeCan ASEAN Save the Mekong River.

A Podcast with Historian Milton Osborne

Published on Sep 3, 2019 by Luke Hunt

While the Mekong River – one of the world’s longest and largest rivers – has long been in peril, its future has gotten more attention over the past few years both on its own terms as well as within the context of other geopolitical trends such as the development of mainland Southeast Asian states and the rise of China. To discuss these issues and more, Luke Hunt recently spoke to Milton Osborne, a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute who has been associated with Southeast Asia for more than a half-century –viewing the region through various stints including at the Australian Embassy in Cambodia and the Office of National Assessments and authoring 11 books – with a particular focus on....

Sand Wars: Singapore Growth Costs its Neighbours

Published on Feb 29, 2016 by Luke Hunt

Just two years ago a small sandbar could be seen jutting out of the narrow straits separating Singapore and Malaysia’s Johor.Then the barges came, disgorging tonnes of sand, the beginning of a $60 billion, 20-year Malaysian development of four man-made islands designed for 700,000 residents and 25,000 workers, called Forest City.Read more from Lindsay Murdoch in The Age. .

Mekong River Commission Faces Radical Change

Published on Jan 30, 2016 by Luke Hunt

Financial mismanagement and political bullying has contributed to spending cuts at the Mekong River Commission (MRC) forcing the troubled, Vientiane-based research and management institution into a radical restructuring under a new chief executive officer.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

AEC Shamed by Toxic Haze and Laos Dams

Published on Nov 1, 2015 by Luke Hunt

A grand entrance by the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), when it launches in less than nine weeks, onto the world stage was supposed to herald the dawning of a prosperous new age for the more than 600 million people who live within the region.But the political realities are already delivering a different, unwanted take. Bad? Even Southeast Asia’s harshest critics are trying hard not to crow over the latest debacles, for fear of tempting fate with the region’s notoriously thin-skinned leaders.Most telling is the toxic smog which has been allowed to escalate for 20 years. A Wall Street Journal report quoting Greenpeace says 110,000 people die annually from haze-related illnesses.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

UN backs Australia's Plan to Save the Great Barrier Reef

Published on Jul 22, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Australia has escaped attempts by environmentalists to have its iconic Great Barrier Reef listed as endangered by the United Nations World Heritage Committee after heavy lobbying and the fast-tracking of a 10-year $1.5 billion rescue bid.Read more from Luke Hunt in Bonn, Germany, for The Nikkei Asian Review..

Saving the Great Barrier Reef

Published on Jul 3, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Diplomat correspondent Luke Hunt recently covered the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, and its decision on whether to list the Great Barrier Reef, off of Australia’s northeast coast, as endangered.Listen to the podcast from The Diplomat.

UNESCO's Great Barrier Reef Decision Has Ramifications

Published on Jun 14, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Draft recommendations by UNESCO have notched up a minor victory for the Australian government and efforts to thwart hard­line environmentalists who want the Great Barrier Reef listed as endangered, but any final decision still rests on a final vote to be held in Bonn later this month.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..