An effective forest restoration project requires a good supply of high-quality seeds, which is a challenge in many countries currently, including Malaysia, said speakers at the launch of the Seed to Tree project at the Elmina Rainforest Knowledge Centre on Tuesday.

Seed supply and quality a challenge for restoration efforts

As the adoption of sustainability practices gains momentum in the Asean economies, businesses are expected to increase their efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

“Many organisations really need to think of this as a business imperative … it makes businesses stronger...

Social: Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion

Transition funds are predominantly focused on green sectors, placing too much emphasis on a company’s emissions performance, says Joanne Khew, director and ESG specialist at Eastspring Investments Singapore. However, these funds often overlook “brown to green” opportunities — transitioning enviro...

Investing: Transition finance: Spotting the ‘brown to green’ companies

More efforts are needed to plug the shortfall in sustainable finance in Asean.

Naeeda Crishna Morgado, senior infrastructure specialist for climate finance at the Asian Development Bank’s Southeast Asia department, says the region requires investments in both adaptation and mitigation m...

Social: Plugging the sustainable finance shortfall

Buildings worldwide account for 39% of energy-related carbon emissions — of which 28% is from operations and 11% from materials and construction — and consume 50% of all extracted materials, according to the World Green Building Council (WGBC).

The numbers are similar in Malaysia. Accor...

Carbon: Helping property owners tackle embodied carbon

Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s new book, Saving the Planet: Climate and Environmental Lessons from Malaysia and Beyond, is an easy read about the young minister’s experience in handling the portfolio the first time and his thoughts on w...

Book Review: A layman’s textbook on the climate crisis

It is no secret that Malaysia is going all out to become a data centre hub. It is also no secret that these facilities are energy guzzlers. In fact, it is estimated that there will be an increase of 7.7gw in electricity demand from data centres alone by 2030, according to the government.

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Cover Story: Should Malaysia give nuclear power the green light?

In the 1990s, Sabina Alkire faced an uphill battle trying to convince economists that traditional poverty measurements were not comprehensive enough.

She had conducted her doctoral field work in Pakistan, spending time with women who were part of an income generation project run by non-...

Social: Important to measure multidimensional poverty

One of US President Donald Trump’s first actions when he took office last month was to cut the US resettlement programme for refugees and freeze funding for foreign aid.

These actions have had ripple effects throughout the world and in Malaysia, where many refugees are awaiting resettle...

Politics: Trump’s new policies will impact refugees and sustainability initiatives in Malaysia

The world will fall short of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, which is a setback for global climate efforts, says Jeffrey D Sachs, renowned economist and president of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN).

“The rea...

Outlook: SDGs will not be met by 2030

Setting goals is easy, but meeting them is hard. The Paris Agreement managed to get 194 states and the European Union to agree on the target of limiting global warming to below 1.5oC by 2050, and for the signatories to set respective climate targets — called “nationally determined contribution” (NDC) – aligned with the global ambition.

How is Malaysia progressing towards net zero emissions?

Despite the withdrawal of the US — the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases — from the Paris Agreement, Malaysia and the rest of the world must continue the battle against climate change, said Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad at the Post-COP29 Forum 2025 held on Saturday at Sunway University.

Natural resources minister: The battle against climate change must continue

Sustainability can sometimes be seen as a concept only achievable by those with resources, but it can also be practised by smallholders and bring about financial benefits, according to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

According to RSPO, 85% of oil palm plantation owners ar...

Agriculture: Sustainable palm oil practices in Surat Thani province

Litigation and enforcement, particularly related to ESG matters, have seen a significant uptrend recently. While corporate sustainability and climate change have long been contemplated in corporate decision-making, the increased global emphasis on ESG has brought litigation in this area to the fo...

Views: The global trend in ESG litigation: Lessons for Malaysia

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has cautioned against any attempts to challenge the government by organising protests against the Urban Renewal Bill (URA).

PM warns against leveraging Malay identities to disrupt urban renewal efforts

South Koreans gathered in huge numbers in the capital Seoul on Saturday to support or oppose impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol before a court decides whether his short-lived declaration of martial law disqualifies him from office.

Supporters, protestors rally across South Korea ahead of President Yoon's impeachment ruling

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Western nations to ramp up pressure on Vladimir Putin, saying Russia’s president will “sooner or later” have to engage in serious discussions over a ceasefire in Ukraine.

UK urges pressure on Russia if Putin balks at truce, calls for 'coalition of the willing' to support Ukraine

The US announced visa restrictions on current and former Thai officials involved in the return of 40 Uyghurs to China last month, a setback for the Southeast Asian nation striving to strike a balance between its two largest trade partners.

US slaps visa curbs on Thai officials for Uyghur deportation to China

Thailand aims to slash electricity costs by more than 25% by next year to emerge as a hub for data centres and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, according to Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto chief of the ruling Pheu Thai Party.

Thaksin vows cheaper power to turn Thailand into data centre hub

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said on Friday that Starship is set to depart for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Tesla humanoid bot Optimus.

Starship, carrying Tesla's bot, set for Mars by end-2026, says Musk

National energy firm Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) said on Saturday it is continuing discussions with multiple stakeholders, following a report that negotiations over the ongoing gas aggregator role with Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) have reached a deadlock.

Petronas says still in talks with Sarawak over gas aggregator role after media report on deadlock

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday launched the Mara Madani Waqf, aimed at strengthening the Malay and Bumiputera agenda in the country.

PM launches Mara Madani Waqf aimed at strengthening Malay, Bumiputera agenda

The Electric Train Service (ETS) has achieved another milestone in its effort to expand the country’s rail network, with the launch of operations between the Butterworth, Padang Besar and Segamat stations on Saturday.

KTMB launches ETS service to Segamat

The 46th Asean Summit is scheduled to take place from May 26 to 27, while the Asean Summit with Dialogue Partners is set for late October, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Tok Mat: 46th Asean Summit in May, Summit with Dialogue Partners in October

Chin Hin Group Property Bhd (KL:CHGP) has big plans this&nbsp;year. It aims to achieve a sales target of RM2 billion and expand into Melaka and Johor this year. In this week's cover story, &nbsp;Chiau Haw Choon, the group managing director of its parent company, Chin Hin Group Bhd (KL:CHINHIN), talks about the encouraging sales of RM1.3 billion last year and his target this year.&nbsp;Of the RM2 billion sales target, RM1.4 billion will come from existing projects and the remaining RM600 million from new launches. In addition, he unveils the developer’s plan to venture overseas after establishing a firm foundation in the domestic market.

Upping its game

SHAH ALAM (March 16): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim&nbsp;attended the 18th DAP National Congress held at Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) here on Sunday, to elect the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC).

PM attends 18th DAP National Congress

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida/WASHINGTON: (March 15): More than 1,300 Voice of America (VOA) employees were placed on leave on Saturday and funding for two US news services that broadcast to authoritarian regimes was terminated, one day after President Donald Trump ordered the gutting of the government-funded media outlet's parent and six other federal agencies.

Voice of America staff put on leave, Trump ally says agency 'not salvageable'

HONG KONG/BEIJING (March 16): China's Baidu said on Sunday that it has launched two new artificial intelligence (AI) models, the multimodal ERNIE 4.5 and a new reasoning-focused model called X1, as it vies to stand out in a fiercely competitive AI race.

China's Baidu launches two new AI models as industry competition heats up

KUALA LUMPUR (March 16): While the Democratic Action Party (DAP) is a firm ally of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, party chairman Lim Guan Eng emphasised that it will never be a "yes-man" party.

DAP won’t be a ‘yes-man’ party, says Guan Eng

Those who spent a lot of time in the UK or have a soft spot for its produce allsorts would be well familiar with Vimto, the Mancunian mixed soft fruit drink that has ingrained itself in — pun fully intended — British pop culture.

Top of the pop

KUALA LUMPUR (March 16): The Democratic Action Party (DAP), the largest party in the country’s ruling coalition, has pledged its support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to remain in office after the 16th General Election (GE16).

DAP backs Anwar to stay as PM after GE16 — Loke

HAVANA (March 15): Cuba's capital Havana plunged into darkness for a second night on Saturday, as efforts to restore power proceeded in fits and starts, with setbacks slowing progress and leaving several million still without electricity across the island.

ESG

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