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Beh Lih Yi
For Beh Lih Yi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 9, 2022
Vulnerable nations demand funding for climate losses
The surging costs of climate change-driven destruction have made vulnerable nations poorer by about one-fifth, 55 such countries said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 26, 2022
Humanity on 'spiral of self-destruction' as disasters rise, U.N. warns
The world is set to face 1.5 disasters a day — 560 a year — by 2030 as humans heat up the climate and ignore the risk, pushing millions more people into poverty, the organization has said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 8, 2022
As G20 chair, coal-heavy Indonesia sends mixed signals on green transition
Indonesia, the world's top exporter of thermal coal and its eighth-biggest carbon emitter, has made a sustainable energy transition one of three focuses for its yearlong presidency.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 10, 2022
The disasters that never happened: How to soothe rising climate anxiety
From retrofitting schools to withstand earthquakes to installing irrigation that saves crops from drought, many effective early disaster interventions have gone largely unnoticed.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Nov 5, 2021
Poor nations 'squeezed' as debt surges and climate adaptation cash falls short
Developing nations alone will need up to $500 billion by 2050 for adaptation, the U.N. has said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 14, 2021
'Terrifying' warming ahead as climate pledges fall far short of 1.5 C goal
Current commitments put the world on a trajectory to a catastrophic 2.4 degree Celsius of warming by the end of the century, calculations by a climate policy expert show.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Sep 27, 2021
Dark future? Climate change fuels higher heat and flood threats for children
Children around the world will face a sharp jump in heatwaves, floods and droughts in their lives compared to their grandparents, researchers said on Monday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / ANALYSIS
Sep 23, 2021
China and U.S. climate pledges give COP26 boost but 'extra mile' sought
Analysts say the two superpowers' funding pledges to tackle planetary warming lacked detail and far more is needed to meet global goals.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 14, 2021
As climate talks near, pressure grows on Asia to cancel new coal projects
Coal remains a mainstay for power generation in Asia, which accounts for 75% of global coal demand.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 11, 2021
Bleak future feared for Asia's vulnerable poor after landmark climate report
Home to about 60% of the world's population, the region has borne the brunt of climate disasters.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2021
China's bitcoin crackdown sparks fears of dirtier cryptomining
By cutting off access to China's power grid, with its plentiful supply of affordable renewable energy, the new restrictions could push miners toward dirtier sources of electricity.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 20, 2021
'We are waiting to die': Hope fades after India halts vaccine exports
The move has hampered plans for the protection for millions of poorer people around the world caught in the pandemic.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 4, 2021
K-pop for the planet: Fans of South Korean stars take on climate change
From petitioning to save forests to raising cash for disaster victims, a growing army of K-pop fans worldwide has emerged as the latest force in the global fight against climate change.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 6, 2020
Sounds and the city: Artists put Asia's changing urban identity on tape
As Asia becomes more developed, urban soundscape studies have focused on noise pollution, while efforts to preserve the identity of cities have not concentrated on sound.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 15, 2020
Buddhist monk and makeup artist seeks LGBTQ equality in Japan
Kodo Nishimura has recently released a book about his experiences, and hopes to raise awareness and spark discussion.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 13, 2020
Untouched yet ruined: The toll of South Korea's spy-cam epidemic
The wedding hall was booked and home furnishings all bought but the bride — one of thousands of women to fall victim to an epidemic of high-tech voyeurism in South Korea — is not here.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 11, 2019
Via language, song and nature, young Taiwanese reconnecting with indigenous roots
The Truku elders of Taiwan still dream about their mountain home four decades after bulldozers tore it down — a classic symptom of trauma as community members struggle to accept their loss.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 26, 2019
Singapore promotes gardening for elderly in bid to fight loneliness
Since her mother died last year, 74-year-old Lim Yeo Hong has been living alone in a flat on the outskirts of Singapore, scavenging for cardboard scraps which she sells for a living.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2019
Only for 'naughty girls': Stigma lingers after South Korea abortion ban overturned
South Korea is set to legalize abortion after a decadeslong ban was struck down, but women's rights campaigners have warned those who undergo the procedure will still be "punished in the eyes of society."
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 23, 2018
As attacks and rising rhetoric stoke concern in Malaysia's LGBT community, punk band Shh...Diam! uses music to fight bias
With songs like "I woke up gay" and "Lonely lesbian," LGBT punk band Shh...Diam! is making a rare splash in Malaysia, using music to fight long-running discrimination.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores