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This briefing reviews key international developments in climate change adaptation in 2025–2026 and considers their implications for the Asia-Pacific region ahead of COP31. It examines the shift from global framework-setting toward implementation across major areas, including the global goal on adaptation (GGA), transformational adaptation, locally...

This pamphlet introduces the latest activities of Kitakyushu Urban Centre.

Ecological conservation has become a core issue of global concern, and ecosystem services (ES) are fundamental to achieving sustainable development. However, integrated assessments of ES dynamics, spatial heterogeneity, and future land use scenarios in Mongolia remain insufficient. This study utilized Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) data from 2000...

Stubble burning in the Trans Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) significantly contributes to air pollution, posing severe threats to human health and the environment. This study investigates the interactions between stubble burning, vegetation productivity, atmospheric loading, and wind anomalies across the Trans Indo- Gangetic Plain using MODIS burned-area...

Urban heat in rapidly growing megacities is spatially uneven, yet the relative influence of built form, socioeconomic activity and blue-green spatial configuration remains insufficiently resolved in cities of the Global South. This study examines neighbourhood-scale controls on land surface temperature (LST) in Delhi, India, using a single clear...

Bhutan faces mounting pressure on its municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems. Its capital city, Thimphu, generates approximately 50 tonnes of MSW per day, of which roughly 30 tonnes per day is organic (wet) waste that is currently deposited at the Memelakha landfill — an ageing open-dumpsite already well beyond its intended lifespan. At the...

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become one of the most important regions in the global climate debate because it combines rapid economic growth, rising energy demand, and high climate vulnerability. This regional context has become more urgent after the outcome of the first Global Stocktake (GST 1) adopted at CMA.5 in 2023...

Flood-dominated floodplains are undergoing rapid land-use and land-cover (LULC) change, with consequences for exposure, ecosystem condition, and local development planning. This study examines historical LULC change, transition intensity, trend-consistent land-use scenarios, and event-based flood exposure in Bongaigaon District, located in the...

Microplastic pollution in tropical urban rivers has become an increasing environmental concern due to rapid urbanization, inadequate waste management, and hydrological transport processes. This study investigated the occurrence, characteristics, and spatiotemporal distribution of microplastics in the Can Tho River, Vietnam, along an urban– peri...

With more than 2.2 billion urban residents, cities in Asia and the Pacific are well placed to drive the urban transitions needed to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (ESCAP, 2025b). Their large and growing urban population gives them significant influence, but the real strength of cities is in their role as delivery...