Thailand’s Chiang Mai now has airborne pollutants that are 20 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. Last week, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin declined to designate the northern city as a disaster area in order to protect the country’s tourism sector. In an announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Srettha expressed worries that … Read more
Another winter in Central Asia is coming to an end, and smog has loomed over the cities of the region for many months now. At a glance, IQAir’s air quality map shows unhealthy or toxic air quality across numerous urban settlements in the Central Asian region on most days. It paints a disturbing picture that … Read more
Millions of people in cities in South and Southeast Asia face the threat of dying prematurely due to air pollution. Eighteen fast growing cities in Asia’s tropical region are expected to be home to more than 10 million people each by 2100. Most of these cities have limited to no routine ground monitoring of air … Read more
As Indonesia faces another year of intensifying peatland fires, longstanding regional tensions around transboundary haze continue to envelop Southeast Asia. Neighboring Malaysia is concerned about the haze’s severity this year, urging joint regional action against rising air pollution levels. Malaysia’s vocal stance on the issue raises the question: will the Association of Southeast Asian Nations … Read more
Pollution in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur caused by smoke from forest fires in Sumatra, September 15, 2015. Credit: Depositphotos Advertisement Malaysia has called for joint regional efforts to tackle the seasonal scourge of air pollution, as the country continues to choke on a pall of haze from burning peatlands in neighboring Indonesia. In an … Read more
Advertisement Jakarta, Indonesia’s bustling capital, is a city known for its vibrant culture and economic opportunities. However, above the energy and dynamism lies the smog. Indonesia’s capital recently topped the list as the world’s most polluted city and has consistently ranked among the 10 most polluted cities globally since May, according to data from IQAir. … Read more
Advertisement Malaysia’s government is preparing to shut schools and take other measures as the quality of the air deteriorates across large parts of the country due to toxic smoke from burning peatlands, according to the country’s top environmental official. In a statement late on Monday, Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, the director general of the … Read more
Advertisement During the dry season each year, the vibrant skyline of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta becomes something of a fading memory, disappearing under a thick brownish-grey smog. The city’s notorious levels of air pollution have arisen predominantly from the ever-rising usage of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles and the extensive industrial operations enveloping the capital city. The situation is … Read more
TheStarsHub — Dozens of heat records have fallen in Siberia, as temperatures climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius). Despite only being early June, records are tumbling across parts of Siberia as extreme heat pushes into unusually high latitudes. Last Saturday, temperatures reached 37.9 degrees Celsius (100.2 Fahrenheit) in Jalturovosk, its hottest day in history, … Read more
TheStarsHub — When the temperature soared to 99 degrees Fahrenheit last month, Singapore resident Chee Kuan Chew saw just one option: cancel all plans and stay indoors in air-conditioned comfort. “You can’t survive without air con in Singapore,” Chee said. “It’s impossible with the heat.” The 20-year-old university student lives with his family in a … Read more