Sustainable Asia

When it comes to plastic recycling, Hong Kong is falling behind. In the face of government inaction, local organisations are stepping in to fill the gaps.  In this episode, we look at the alliance Drink without Waste  - a group of over 40 organisations in Hong Kong involved in plastic beverage waste. Without regulation tackling the issues of plastic waste, this consortium is co...

Taiwan went from being nicknamed “Trash Island” to becoming the world’s premier supplier of PET recycled plastic. What did it take to get there? We walk through Taiwan’s unique approach to getting plastic beverage bottles from the hands of consumers and to plastic recycling plants - with a bit of education, love for the environment, and a few key government incentives. Guests: Brenda Hai...

We speak with HKUMed Dr. Tommy Lam to learn the science behind how the coronavirus emerged from animal populations and can’t be man-made, why the pangolin could be an intermediary host, and whether we can be sure that the virus originated in Wuhan China.  Guests: Dr. Tommy Lam, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong  Further Listening and Reading: Fight COVID19 with HKU web...

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we are spending a lot of time at home. While some see this as an opportunity for quality time with their loved ones, it can also pose more chances for arguments and quarrels. So we reached out to Dr. George Lee, a clinical psychologist who focuses on families and couples...who is also getting his PhD at HKU’s Buddhist Studies Program. Guests: Dr. Geor...

Hong Kong’s economy is contracting for the first time since the 2009 financial crisis. We talk to economist Dr. Heiwai Tang from HKU about how the Hong Kong government can support small businesses and low income citizens during COVID19… and is it time for Hong Kong to start reopening the economy now that new cases are dropping? Guests: Professor Heiwai Tang, Faculty of Business and Econo...

A story about how our behaviour during COVID19 ...is affecting ocean wildlife. Luxury seafood tourism in Hong Kong and China has halted under lockdown. While good for endangered reef fish in Indonesia in the short-term, we may be losing a leading sustainable fishing company for the long-term. Dr. Yvonne Sadovy of HKU tells the story.  Guests: Dr. Yvonne Sadovy, honorary professor of Biol...

Elderly people are getting the short end of the stick during this coronavirus pandemic. Because they have a higher risk of complications under COVID-19, they are being asked to socially isolate for up to months on end. While this may be saving their lives it also could be risking their mental wellbeing... Guests: Dr. Tatia Lee, Head of the Department of Psychology and Professor of Neurop...

Life online during coronavirus social distancing…has lost its luster. So why not learn something new during this COVID19 pandemic...We talk to Ruby Yang who teaches documentary filmmaking at HKU. We laugh and learn about how famous directors approach a documentary, where you can take a course online to make your first ever documentary…and how maybe...this might help with your online teac...

Clinical Professor John Nicholls from the Department of Pathology at HKU Medicine responds to questions from #askHKUMed with the latest coronavirus research: -Can people that test positive for COVID-19 become reinfected? -What parts of the body are affected by the coronavirus? -What antiviral drugs have had the best clinical effects? The #askHKUMed initiative from LKS Faculty of Medicine at T...

Pangolins do not survive well in captivity. In fact, when seized by border authorities, their rescue often turns into a death sentence. But when a local NGO in China tried to save a handful of these seized pangolins by releasing them back into the wild, it stirred up a storm of controversy. Why is saving the pangolins such a thorny issue? Will the Chinese government’s recent ban on the trade and c...

The novel coronavirus has spread faster than any epidemic in recent memory. It’s called the “stealth virus” for a reason: patients are infectious even before they have symptoms. That means fully eradicating COVID19 could hinge on the development of a vaccine - which may be more than a year away. Today, we are going to talk about why a vaccine could be a long term solution, what type...

There is a lot of discussion these days about how the novel coronavirus is dividing out between the sexes. Men are dying from the virus at a much higher rate. Yet women represent 70% of global health workers, and are at greater risk of contracting this disease while working on the front lines. How are we as a society managing these gender differences during this COVID19 crisis? Is the bu...

The novel coronavirus has hit the world like a bombshell. Many of us are quarantined and frankly pretty nervous....But one of our best strategies to deal with this pandemic is to try to understand why COVID-19 happened..and maybe how we can prevent it in the future. In this episode, we speak with Professor Thomas Abraham who helps teach the MOOC "Epidemics 1 & 2" at the University of...

The novel coronavirus COVID19 pandemic has hit the world like a bombshell. But it's not the first coronavirus to hit Asia. In 2003, the SARS coronavirus brought Hong Kong to a standstill, but medical and research centers like The University of Hong Kong (HKU) led the efforts to bring the deadly epidemic to an end. Now they are leading the charge to fight COVID19 . Ten episodes walk...

Vietnam is the world’s second largest destination for the illegal trade in pangolins after China. The Southeast Asian country is also a major transit hub for trafficking of the endangered mammal into China. And yet, there is very little awareness of this issue within Vietnam, and despite numerous seizures of pangolins and pangolin parts, there are few prosecutions. In Malaysia too, loopholes in wi...

Before releasing the final two episodes of The Pangolin Reports, Marcy and Bonnie take a brief look at China's coronavirus outbreak that kicked off just as we started releasing this podcast series - an epidemic that has completely changed the face of China's wildlife trade. Hosts: Marcy Trent Long and Bonnie Au INTRO/OUTRO Music: Alex Mauboussin Send us a note on twitter @SustainableAsia...

How illegal pangolin trafficking is encouraging criminal activity in Asia Pangolins have been around for over 80 million years. Yet China’s demand is pushing them to the edge of extinction…How are these pangolins being trafficked from their natural habitats in Africa and Asia into China? We interview journalists from Myanmar, Nepal, and Indonesia: they explain why this trafficking is damaging...

Why are pangolins so sought after in China? Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world, in large part due to demand from Chinese consumers. Scientists are pointing to these peculiar creatures as a possible source of the coronavirus outbreak in China, where a temporary ban on all wildlife trade is now in force. Could this mean fresh hope for pangolins? Why are they so sought-after? And w...

Last year, China published its Arctic Policy white paper, positioning itself as a stakeholder in Arctic governance and making waves internationally as countries tried to understand China’s intentions. Why is China so interested in the Arctic region? And how do the impact of warmer temperatures and climate change shift China’s priorities in the North Pole? From Belt and Road initiatives to ban...

The Antarctic landscape has been changing drastically with warming temperatures, and with the changing geopolitical tensions in the world, China has become a big player on discussions about the use of Antarctica's resources. Why is China so interested in this icy expanse in the South? And how is China positioning itself on conservation issues in Antarctica in the face of climate change? Guests: Dr...

Not just anyone can dig up the ocean floor, you would first have to make an agreement with the International Seabed Authority. As it turns out, 21 countries have contracts now and are preparing to mine the seabed. But is the world ready for that? Is the ISA up to the task? Now that we know what deep sea mining is and what risks are involved, we decide why deep sea mining should or should not go ah...

Why are companies so eager to start harvesting metal rich nodules from the ocean floor? In Episode 3 we are following Deep Green, a company founded by former Nautilus management. This company is eager to start harvesting nodules in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific. Could this be a more sustainable way of getting minerals? Guests: Gerard Barron, Deep Green Dr Gregory Stone, Deep Gre...

In Papua New Guinea, mining company Nautilus was hoping to start deep seabed mining by 2018. Things were looking good, but the company had to fold over grassroots resistance and financial trouble. Why were these Pacific Islanders so opposed to deep sea mining? How bad could it really be? Guests: Dr David Santillo, Greenpeace   Dr Helen Rosenbaum, Deep Sea Mining Campaign Dr Richard Steiner, U...

The concept of deep seabed mining has been around for decades, but our growing demand for renewable energy is making this far fetched idea... a reality. Renewable energy resources are perceived to be the solution to the world’s climate change problem. But, their production requires a lot of rare minerals which often come from questionable sources. What do we have to gain and lose from Mining the D...

We've been nominated for Asia's best podcast by the Asia podcast awards. So it's time to get out the vote. If you like what you hear, please go to Asia podcast awards, and cast your vote for the sustainable Asia podcast. Our next season coming out in November is about seabed mining in the deep oceans. Again, we're partnering with China dialogue, the best news available on China and the environment...