Habitat

The replacement of natural land with built space is one of the least reversible forms of human alteration of the environment. It has depended on the large-scale use of natural resources, with the construction sector consuming about halfEuropean Commission – Buildings and construction of all raw materials extracted worldwide each year. The rapid expansion of human settlements over ever larger areas reflects the low economic value assigned to untouched natural lands, despite the essential ecosystem services they provide, from flood control and crop pollination to storing carbon dioxide (CO2) in vegetation and soils.
Singapore, a land-scarce island nation, accommodates one of the world’s highest population densities.

📷 Singapore, a land-scarce island nation, accommodates one of the world’s highest population densities. © 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....

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.....
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 brick industry has underpinned India’s urban expansion at the expense of agricultural topsoil and crop yield. It is also a major source of air pollution across South Asia.

India dispatch: Houses built on coal, degraded farmland

The brick industry has underpinned India’s urban expansion at the expense of agricultural topsoil and crop yield. It is also a major source of air pollution across....
The Balik language, which "encodes environmental knowledge as its vocabulary", is on the verge of extinction as the Nusantara project risks diluting the local identity. Three quarters of Indonesia's indigenous languages are endangered. “Losing someone’s language means losing someone’s identity,” said Rafif Aufa Nanda.

Indonesia dispatch: Urbanisation unroot language from its ecosystem

The Balik language, which "encodes environmental knowledge as its vocabulary", is on the verge of extinction as the Nusantara project risks diluting the local identity. Three quarters....
Indonesia is home to more than 540 species of birds found nowhere else in the world.

Pengamat burung tersingkir oleh urbanisasi dan tradisi burung kicau

Para pengamat burung di Jakarta menyaksikan langsung bagaimana populasi burung kian terpinggirkan ketika urbanisasi melaju tanpa kendali. Perluasan kota bergerak hampir lima kali lebih cepat dibanding proses....

Indonesia is home to more than 540 species of birds found nowhere else in the world.

Birdwatchers pushed to the fringes by urbanisation and aviculturist tradition

Bird enthusiasts in Jakarta have been firsthand observers of the marginalisation of avian populations as urbanisation spiralled out of control. The city expanded into its outskirts almost....