Demography

Home to nearly six out of every ten people on Earth, Asia is the world’s demographic powerhouse. Beyond India and China, countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines, and Bangladesh are experiencing rapid population growth. In parallel, demography is a driver of systemic environmental pressures through food, energy, resources and land consumption, especially as populations move from low- to middle- and high-income levels. The scale of Asia’s demographic pressureUnited Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs – World Population Prospects, 2024 is projected to intensify natural resource depletion and ecosystem alterations.
Members of Pokja Pesisir conduct an environmental education class in the coastal village of Jenebora in the hope of “nurturing a generation that understands the local ecosystem”. The awareness effort faces a push by the Indonesian government to frame Nusantara as a “forest city”.

📷 Schoolkids attend a class in Indonesia, projected to surpass 300 million inhabitants in the early 2030s. © Sebastian Castelier

Artificial cooling remains the dominant means of regulating indoor temperatures in Singapore, despite decades of urban greening efforts to incorporate vegetation into its urban fabric.

Singapore dispatch: Cooling the tropical Garden City

Artificial cooling remains the dominant means of regulating indoor temperatures in Singapore, despite decades of urban greening efforts to incorporate vegetation into its urban fabric.....
In Singapore, the past competes with the present for the same finite land. In seeking equilibrium between natural ecosystems and human infrastructure, one of the world’s most densely populated countries introduced a regulation to limit the burial period to 15 years.

Singapore dispatch: The land use dilemma

In seeking equilibrium between natural ecosystems and human infrastructure, one of the world’s most densely populated countries introduced a regulation limiting the burial period to 15 years.....
Beneath the language of heritage and artisanship, the purchase of luxury goods is a material expression of the outsized environmental footprint of affluent consumers. Asia accounted for nearly four in ten luxury goods sold globally in the early 2020s.

Singapore dispatch: The imprint of luxury consumption

Beneath the language of heritage and artisanship, the purchase of luxury goods is a material expression of the outsized environmental footprint of affluent consumers.....
In the pre-synthetic fibres era, clothes were intended to last. With the rise of fast fashion, a third of Singaporeans acknowledged having thrown away a garment after wearing it just once. Singaporeans buy 34 pieces of new clothes per year, while discarding 27.

Singapore dispatch: When Peranakan craft met Mickey Mouse

In the pre-synthetic fibres era, clothes were intended to last. With the rise of fast fashion, a third of Singaporeans acknowledged having thrown away a garment after....
In the district where coastal villages most affected by Nusantanra are located, the number of people engaged in fishing, nearly halved between 2020 and 2024.

Land monetisation rush pits fishermen against crocodiles

The Indonesian government’s assault on the world’s third largest tropical rainforest to serve industrial interests divides populations and biodiversity, echoing colonial-era patterns. Locally revered as ancestors, crocodiles....

In the district where coastal villages most affected by Nusantanra are located, the number of people engaged in fishing, nearly halved between 2020 and 2024.

Perebutan lahan picu konflik nelayan dan buaya

Pemerintah Indonesia mengeksploitasi hutan hujan tropis terbesar ketiga di dunia demi kepentingan industri. Langkah ini memecah belah masyarakat dan mengancam keanekaragaman hayati. Kebijakan tersebut mengulang pola yang....

The project to form a regional railway running along the Persian Gulf coastline has been repeatedly delayed, reflecting decades of entrenched distrust between West Asian states.

Saudi Arabia dispatch: Rail across political fault lines

The project to form a regional railway running along the Persian Gulf coastline has been repeatedly delayed, reflecting decades of entrenched distrust between West Asian states.....
Often blamed for their contribution to traffic congestion, cycle rickshaws do not release exhaust and therefore help contain air pollution in Dhaka, a city struggling with heavy pollution levels.

Bangladesh dispatch: Debate over pedal-powered transport

Often blamed for their contribution to traffic congestion, cycle rickshaws do not release exhaust and therefore help contain air pollution in Dhaka, a city struggling with heavy....
The rapid motorisation of India, from 50 million vehicles by the start of the 21st century to more than 350 million in 2022, occurred within an energy system dominated by fossil fuels.

India dispatch: Move 1.5 billion people around

The rapid motorisation of India, from 50 million vehicles by the start of the 21st century to more than 350 million, occurred within an energy system dominated....
Kilometres-long lines at fuel stations in 2022 and halted livelihood revealed how Sri Lanka’s fleet of 8.4 million vehicles has locked the nation into dependence on imported fossil fuel.

Sri Lanka dispatch: Locked into imported fossil fuels

Kilometres-long lines at fuel stations in 2022 and halted livelihood revealed how Sri Lanka’s fleet of millions of oil-powered vehicles locked the nation into dependence on imported....
Despite having one of the world's highest solar power potentials, Saudi Arabia still burns hundreds of millions of barrels of oil to generate electricity, making its power sector one of the most polluting globally.

Saudi Arabia dispatch: Burning oil for electricity

Despite having one of the world's highest solar power potentials, Saudi Arabia still burns hundreds of millions of barrels of oil to generate electricity, making its power....
Scrubbers allow ships to keep burning high-sulphur fuel, but Singaporean waters absorb the consequences. They contain the world’s highest concentration of washwater, a toxic industrial waste.

Singapore dispatch: The externality loop of marine fuels

Scrubbers allow ships to keep burning high-sulphur fuel, but Singaporean waters absorb the consequences. They contain the world’s highest concentration of washwater, a toxic industrial waste.....
Despite the rapid addition of renewable energy capacities, India's electricity has a dark side. Three-quarters of it is generated by burning coal, causing one of the worst air quality in Asia.

India dispatch: Power the 1.5 billion-people nation

Despite the rapid addition of renewable energy capacities, India's electricity has a dark side. Three-quarters of it is generated by burning coal, causing one of the worst....
As electricity consumption rises, nuclear and solar additions have not replaced fossil fuel–fired power plants; they have been added alongside the legacy infrastructure.

United Arab Emirates dispatch: Accumulation over displacement

As electricity consumption rises, nuclear and solar additions have not replaced fossil fuel–fired power plants; they have been added alongside the legacy infrastructure.....
Artificial cooling remains the dominant means of regulating indoor temperatures in Singapore, despite decades of urban greening efforts to incorporate vegetation into its urban fabric.

Singapore dispatch: Cooling the tropical Garden City

Artificial cooling remains the dominant means of regulating indoor temperatures in Singapore, despite decades of urban greening efforts to incorporate vegetation into its urban fabric.....
In Singapore, the past competes with the present for the same finite land. In seeking equilibrium between natural ecosystems and human infrastructure, one of the world’s most densely populated countries introduced a regulation to limit the burial period to 15 years.

Singapore dispatch: The land use dilemma

In seeking equilibrium between natural ecosystems and human infrastructure, one of the world’s most densely populated countries introduced a regulation limiting the burial period to 15 years.....
Beneath the language of heritage and artisanship, the purchase of luxury goods is a material expression of the outsized environmental footprint of affluent consumers. Asia accounted for nearly four in ten luxury goods sold globally in the early 2020s.

Singapore dispatch: The imprint of luxury consumption

Beneath the language of heritage and artisanship, the purchase of luxury goods is a material expression of the outsized environmental footprint of affluent consumers.....
In the pre-synthetic fibres era, clothes were intended to last. With the rise of fast fashion, a third of Singaporeans acknowledged having thrown away a garment after wearing it just once. Singaporeans buy 34 pieces of new clothes per year, while discarding 27.

Singapore dispatch: When Peranakan craft met Mickey Mouse

In the pre-synthetic fibres era, clothes were intended to last. With the rise of fast fashion, a third of Singaporeans acknowledged having thrown away a garment after....
In the district where coastal villages most affected by Nusantanra are located, the number of people engaged in fishing, nearly halved between 2020 and 2024.

Land monetisation rush pits fishermen against crocodiles

The Indonesian government’s assault on the world’s third largest tropical rainforest to serve industrial interests divides populations and biodiversity, echoing colonial-era patterns. Locally revered as ancestors, crocodiles....

In the district where coastal villages most affected by Nusantanra are located, the number of people engaged in fishing, nearly halved between 2020 and 2024.

Perebutan lahan picu konflik nelayan dan buaya

Pemerintah Indonesia mengeksploitasi hutan hujan tropis terbesar ketiga di dunia demi kepentingan industri. Langkah ini memecah belah masyarakat dan mengancam keanekaragaman hayati. Kebijakan tersebut mengulang pola yang....

Artificial cooling remains the dominant means of regulating indoor temperatures in Singapore, despite decades of urban greening efforts to incorporate vegetation into its urban fabric.

Singapore dispatch: Cooling the tropical Garden City

Artificial cooling remains the dominant means of regulating indoor temperatures in Singapore, despite decades of urban greening efforts to incorporate vegetation into its urban fabric.....
In Singapore, the past competes with the present for the same finite land. In seeking equilibrium between natural ecosystems and human infrastructure, one of the world’s most densely populated countries introduced a regulation to limit the burial period to 15 years.

Singapore dispatch: The land use dilemma

In seeking equilibrium between natural ecosystems and human infrastructure, one of the world’s most densely populated countries introduced a regulation limiting the burial period to 15 years.....
Beneath the language of heritage and artisanship, the purchase of luxury goods is a material expression of the outsized environmental footprint of affluent consumers. Asia accounted for nearly four in ten luxury goods sold globally in the early 2020s.

Singapore dispatch: The imprint of luxury consumption

Beneath the language of heritage and artisanship, the purchase of luxury goods is a material expression of the outsized environmental footprint of affluent consumers.....
In the pre-synthetic fibres era, clothes were intended to last. With the rise of fast fashion, a third of Singaporeans acknowledged having thrown away a garment after wearing it just once. Singaporeans buy 34 pieces of new clothes per year, while discarding 27.

Singapore dispatch: When Peranakan craft met Mickey Mouse

In the pre-synthetic fibres era, clothes were intended to last. With the rise of fast fashion, a third of Singaporeans acknowledged having thrown away a garment after....
In the district where coastal villages most affected by Nusantanra are located, the number of people engaged in fishing, nearly halved between 2020 and 2024.

Land monetisation rush pits fishermen against crocodiles

The Indonesian government’s assault on the world’s third largest tropical rainforest to serve industrial interests divides populations and biodiversity, echoing colonial-era patterns. Locally revered as ancestors, crocodiles....

In the district where coastal villages most affected by Nusantanra are located, the number of people engaged in fishing, nearly halved between 2020 and 2024.

Perebutan lahan picu konflik nelayan dan buaya

Pemerintah Indonesia mengeksploitasi hutan hujan tropis terbesar ketiga di dunia demi kepentingan industri. Langkah ini memecah belah masyarakat dan mengancam keanekaragaman hayati. Kebijakan tersebut mengulang pola yang....

Vietnam's golden population period that started in 2007 is expected to end in the mid-2030s as the older population nearly doubles over the next two decades. The ongoing ageing of the population underscores the age–emissions relationship.

Vietnam dispatch: Footprint of a demographic transition

Vietnam's golden population period that started in 2007 is expected to end in the mid-2030s. The ongoing ageing of the population underscores the age–emissions relationship.....
One of Asia's most densely populated countries risks losing part of its territory to rising sea levels and coastal erosion by the mid-21st century, mainly along its low-lying southern coastline.

Bangladesh dispatch: Over 200 million on a shrinking land

One of Asia's most densely populated countries risks losing part of its territory to rising sea levels and coastal erosion by the mid-21st century, mainly along its....
The quadrupling of Indonesia's population since the mid-20th century has produced a large consumer class embedded in lifestyles that demand land, energy, and materials.

Indonesia dispatch: Demographic boom, and consumed ecosystems

The quadrupling of Indonesia's population since the mid-20th century has produced a large consumer class embedded in lifestyles that demand land, energy, and materials.....