The Mekong Delta, the country’s largest rice, fruit and seafood producer, is facing a land subsidence rate of 1 cm per year, with some areas reaching a rate of 5.7 cm, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
City floods to worsen: study
The predicted decline in groundwater recharge rates will generate large runoffs, resulting in urban floods that could prove devastating for a city like Bangkok.
Amazon, Walmart and Overstock urged to end sales of Myanmar gems that ‘finance military atrocities’
Activists have urged US retail giants Amazon, Walmart and Overstock to ban sales of gems from Myanmar on their sites after an Indian jewelry company removed all online listings that included the precious stones, which are a key source of funds for the junta.
Fresh hopes for species’ survival as 51 royal turtles released into the wild
WCS country director Ken Serey Rotha commented that conservationists had believed that royal turtles were extinct in the Kingdom, a presumption he said was rebuffed by a study back in 2000.
Mekong River Commission appoints new CEO
The MRC Council yesterday welcomed the appointment of Dr. Anoulak Kittikhoun of Lao nationality as the 3rd Riparian CEO of the MRC Secretariat for the 2022–2024 tenure. He is the first Lao national to be appointed to the position.
Trouble on the Mekong
The cumulative impacts of climate change, overfishing and hydropower dam development are having detrimental impacts on the many people who rely on the Mekong. The reports detail effects ranging from loss of family income due to declining fish catch numbers and increased damage caused by flooding and water infrastructure development, to gender inequality that disproportionately affects women’s ability to gain employment.
Thailand Needs Government Intervention to Achieve Net-zero
As things stand, Thailand wishes to capitalise on market forces to tackle carbon emissions. It is presumed that companies – the most significant contributors of carbon emissions – will heed the call of investors and voluntarily curb their GHG productions.
Sanction-busting Italian timber traders defy EU law to import Myanmar teak, aiding the military junta
Despite trade sanctions imposed in June to ban imports of Myanmar teak into Europe, more than 300 tonnes of the ‘king of woods’ worth well over €2 million has since entered into Italy, EIA can reveal.
Buddhism and the environment are one and the same
The purpose of these pilgrimages into the natural world was to contribute to the conservation of the forest and the preservation of Cambodia’s environment through our role as monks by raising awareness of environmental issues and encouraging change in our society for the sake of the environment.
MRC agrees hydro pact
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) Council has agreed on a strategy for joint hydroelectric power development to reduce environmental impacts on member countries.