The impact of climate change on the environment of Burma/Myanmar

See the separate section on climat Ehange
expand all
collapse all

Individual Documents

Title: World Environment Day marked in Yangon, Myanmar
Description: "A tractor works at a dumpsite in Yangon, Myanmar, June 5, 2020. World Environment Day, a United Nations (UN) campaign to raise awareness about the protection of the environment, is celebrated every year on June 5.."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
Date of publication: 2020-06-05
Date of entry/update: 2020-06-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Environmental effects of Chinese projects in Myanmar
Sub-title: Since 2010, China has been casting its eyes on Myanmar’s rich natural resources for commercial exploitation.
Description: "The Chinese “project of the century” — the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is a transcontinental network of roads, railways and ports, covering dams, mines and pipelines is causing major environmental deterioration in Myanmar. The BRI has profound consequences, involving soil contamination and erosion, air pollution, water pollution, habitat and wildlife loss. Some projects have been stalled due to local opposition, however it won’t be for long before China resumes these projects. Local activists in few instances have also been arrested and suppressed by the central government of Myanmar. Myanmar, also known as Suvarnabhumi in Sanskrit (Golden Land), has been famous for its natural resources since ancient times. The raw materials include oil, gas, minerals, timber, forest products and hydropower potential. China since 2010 has been casting its eyes on Myanmar’s rich natural resources for commercial exploitation. The issues of Myitsone dam project, Letpadaung copper mine project and Kyaukpyu port in Myanmar have been elaborated in detail below, highlighting China’s continuous defence of its wrongdoings in Naypyidaw..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Observer Research Foundation (ORF)" (India)
Date of publication: 2020-04-15
Date of entry/update: 2020-04-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Tackling plastic waste pollution in ASEAN
Topic: Plastic waste, Pollution, Oceans, Rivers, Basel Convention
Topic: Plastic waste, Pollution, Oceans, Rivers, Basel Convention
Description: "Southeast Asia stands to gain the most from the addition of plastic waste to the Basel Convention in 2019. All 10 ASEAN member states are signatories to the Basel Convention, a treaty that controls the movement of hazardous waste from one country to another. A major global environmental problem, plastic waste pollution has reached catastrophic proportions with an estimated 100 million tonnes of plastic now found in the oceans, 80-90 percent of which comes from land-based sources, according to the Basel Convention website. This problem is especially acute in ASEAN, which has seen imports of waste plastic from wealthier nations to the region – particularly Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand – rise sharply following a Chinese ban on waste imports at the start of 2018. Data from the United States (US) Census Bureau shows that nearly half the plastic waste exported from the US for recycling in the first six months of 2018 was shipped to Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The contaminated and mixed plastic waste is difficult or even impossible to recycle, leading to a large amount of it ending up in rivers and oceans – or incinerated. The proposed amendment to the Basel Convention provides countries with the right to refuse unwanted or unmanageable plastic waste, and it is a move which will better regulate the global trade in plastic waste, make it more transparent and ensure that its management is safer for humans and the environment..."
Source/publisher: "The ASEAN Post" (Malaysia)
Date of publication: 2020-01-28
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Africans call for more action on climate at Religions for Peace summit
Description: "Although Africa is among the regions contributing the least to global warming, the continent is one of the hardest hit by the impact of climate change on agriculture, health and water. Convening in New York at the Dec. 11-13 Religions for Peace summit, African leaders called on the organization and its members to do more to help address the crisis. Spiritual leaders and delegates from across the globe discussed joint action on climate conservation at a Dec. 11 session on "Partnership for Environmental Stewardship and Climate Protection." A delegate from Senegal told panelist Charles McNeill of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) that Africans are "the least responsible and the least informed" when it comes to combating climate change, due to larger issues like "putting food on the table." He called for greater involvement of religious leaders in persuading more people to do their bit to counter climate change. McNeill, UNEP's senior adviser on forests and climate, pointed to the work being done in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where people are taking steps to protect the Congo Rainforest — the second largest after the Amazon in Brazil. "I really appreciate the comment that the African people are, in spite of the fact that they're hurting the most… they are engaging and turning it around," said McNeill. Since 70% of the population in Congo depends on the forest for day-to-day resources, a delegate from Kenya said there's an urgent need to find sustainable alternatives to fuel, so that there's less cutting of trees. With the alarming deforestation in the Amazon, environmental and religious groups also fear large-scale deforestation in Congo..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The National Catholic Reporter" (USA)
Date of publication: 2019-12-19
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Potential Environmental and Social Impacts of Chinese Mega-Projects in Myanmar Raise Concerns
Topic: air, backbone projects, Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, BCIM, Belt and Road initiative, biodiversity, BRI, China, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, CITIC, Climate Change, CMEC, CNICO, Development, economic benefit, endangered species, Environment, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, ESIA, Forests, Global Warming, growth, Infrastructure, Investment, Irrawaddy River, Kyaukphyu, land grabbing, Letpadaung Taung copper mine, mega projects, Muse-Mandalay Railway, Natural Resources, noise pollution, oil and gas pipeline, Pollution, port, Protest, Railway, sea, SEZ, social impact, Special Economic Zone, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Wanbao Mining Company, Water
Topic: air, backbone projects, Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, BCIM, Belt and Road initiative, biodiversity, BRI, China, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, CITIC, Climate Change, CMEC, CNICO, Development, economic benefit, endangered species, Environment, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, ESIA, Forests, Global Warming, growth, Infrastructure, Investment, Irrawaddy River, Kyaukphyu, land grabbing, Letpadaung Taung copper mine, mega projects, Muse-Mandalay Railway, Natural Resources, noise pollution, oil and gas pipeline, Pollution, port, Protest, Railway, sea, SEZ, social impact, Special Economic Zone, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Wanbao Mining Company, Water
Description: "With more and more Chinese investment flowing into the country, many key government officials are speaking out in support of the projects, which range from a high-speed railway line to special economic zones to seaports. At several local investment forums, they have voiced the view that China’s grand infrastructure projects will bring economic development to Myanmar and economic benefits to local people, while boosting the country’s strategic importance in the region. But what they have so far failed to mention is the possible environmental and social impacts of the projects on host communities. They rarely talk about how the projects threaten biodiversity, protected forests and natural water resources. Faced with this official silence, experts and activists worry aloud about land confiscations, influxes of migrants, loss of livelihoods and air, water and noise pollution in the project areas. Massive project-related activities are now being implemented under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework in Myanmar, following the signing last year of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China to establish the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC)..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
Date of publication: 2019-11-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Burma’s Indigenous Karen Communities Move to Protect Rivers, Forests
Topic: Climate change, environment, Karen
Sub-title: Communities in rural Karen State don’t refer to climate change by name, but they have experienced its negative impacts and are responding.
Topic: Climate change, environment, Karen
Description: "At the foot of Maw Law Ei Mountain, the highest peak in eastern Myanmar’s Karen State, increasing temperatures, drought and extreme weather events, such as flash-flooding, have become common. Members of the indigenous groups that make up the majority of the population here, talk about the significant changes they’ve seen in both the natural environment and the climate. “In the past, it was cooler because we had many big trees,” said Kyaw Blar, a villager from Ta Deh Koh village, one of the villages at the foot of Maw Law Ei mountain (pronounced Mulayit). “It’s all plain area now… it is hotter now.” Myanmar, also known as Burma, is among the countries most vulnerable to extreme weather events related to climate change. In 2019 Germanwatch, ranked Burma 3rd in its Global Climate Risk Index on the long-term climate change risk table, which analyses quantified impacts of extreme weather events both in terms of fatalities as well as economic losses that occurred in the 20-year period; from 1998-2017 (link here). Yet not many people in rural Karen State are aware of climate change’s direct causes or even use the term to refer to the changes they’re seeing. They are, however, among a growing number of vulnerable people forced to cope with the impacts of extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change..."
Source/publisher: "Karen News" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-11-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Climate change as a health threat
Topic: Health
Topic: Health
Description: "Like it or not, daily decisions we make – from our methods of transportation, what clothes we buy, to the food and drinks we consume – directly impact the environment by contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the production of harmful waste. Millions of people around the world, often led by school children and young people, recently took to the streets to protest widespread political inaction. Despite compelling evidence that the earth is warming at unprecedented levels, they were frustrated that nothing was happening in the world’s parliaments and company boardrooms. Climate change is a health emergency as much as it is a global emergency with far reaching socio-economic and geo-political consequences. While global warming is poised to hit developing nations the hardest, these countries will also be the least prepared to cope with its consequences. Naturally, doctors around the world are adding their voices to the rising and compelling calls for action, in the hopes of saving more than a quarter of a million lives if our civilisation carries on ‘business as usual’. “Anthropocene”: Evidence continues to mount that human activities are leaving indelible marks on the planet leading it on a path of irreversible change. Some experts believe human activities have even ushered in a new geological epoch on earth, called the “Anthropocene” (anthropo, for “human,” and cene, for “new”) characterised by plastic pollution, mass animal extinctions and traces of radioactive substances dispersed across the earth from nuclear tests. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has produced reports detailing just how much more drastic and hazardous the effects would be if the earth warmed by 2 degrees, compared to 1.5 degrees, by 2030..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-11-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: EIA and SIA begin in Kyaukphyu SEZ and Kyaukphyu deep seaport port
Description: "Environmental impact assessment (EIA) and social impact assessment (SIA) have started in Kyaukphyu SEZ and Kyaukphyu deep seaport. The project will be implemented after signing agreements including shareholder and other ones, said Deputy Minister Aung Htoo of the Ministry of Commerce. “Kyaukphyu was already negotiated in the time of the first government. The contract was changed into a ratio of 70-30 from 85-15. Then a framework agreement was signed. Now, the EIA and SIA have already begun. If the shareholder agreement and other ones are signed, the project will start an operation, said Deputy Minister Aung Htoo. Previously, the agreement showed an 85 % would go to China and a 15 % to Myanmar. In the time of the current government, the project was re-negotiated and was newly signed back. The agreement indicated that a 70% would go to China and 30 % to Myanmar. “In a ratio of 70: 30, a 70 % goes to China and 30 % to Myanmar. In a 30 % of Myanmar, it will be divided in half, that is, 15 % each to the government and public companies including ethnics, Union Minister Than Myint told the Daily Eleven. Concerning Kyaukphyu SEZ and Kyaukphyu deep seaport, Myanmar-China bilateral framework agreement was signed by the management committee of Kyaukphy SEZ and CITIC consortium on November 8 in 2018..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Eleven Media Group" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-11-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Ten youths appointed to tell locals about protecting Inle Lake
Sub-title: A local non-governmental organisation has tapped a number of young adults to help in the conservation of Inle Lake in Shan State as part of its environmental protection and sustainable lake management programme.
Description: "The Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MMID) seeks to address the need for a sustainable management system for the lake region and to educate local residents about the dangers facing the lake. “Inle Lake is facing severe challenges, as users of the region’s ecosystem, whether knowingly or unknowingly, exploit environmental resources with little consideration of conservation,” said Joern Kristensen, executive director of the institute. “There needs to be more focus on building awareness among local people,” he added. The institute selected 10 people aged 19 to 30 from among more than 50 applicants for the project. “We hope that they will be able to have a big influence on the people living in the area,” Kristensen said, “including those whose livelihoods are connected to the lake.” The successful candidates went through three weeks of training in September, and are expected to reach out to local communities and assess the challenges in a campaign that begins this week and lasts until March..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-11-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Environmental damage caused by China-Myanmar oil pipeline not addressed, says NGO
Description: "The Pyinoolwin Green Organization claims that despite their efforts to highlight the environmental damage caused by the building of the Sino-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline, officials have done little to respond. Sai Min Latt from Pyinoolwin Green Organization said, “The gas pipeline has destroyed springs and other water sources but the local people do not understand this. We presented the destruction of the ecosystem and forest to the officials concerned but they did not take any effective measures. So we do not know what we shall do as they did not do anything in response to our presentations. So I came to this opening ceremony of a school built by the company held today to tell them this is not enough for the destruction they caused.” Sai Min Latt expressed these concerns during the handing over ceremony of a school donated by SEAOP-SEAGP Sino-Myanmar oil and gas pipelines, held in Thone Daung village, Pyinoolwin Township on October 25. “The local people want to see the repair of the damage of ecosystem caused by the building of this Sino-Myanmar gas and oil pipeline. Not only giving this school building. They want the company to give them other things that are needed. Pyinoolwin was once a famous hill resort but now destruction of ecosystem worsens climate change damage here,” he added..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Mizzima" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-10-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Plastic Pollution: Waste Management For Environmental Protection
Description: Plastic Pollution: Waste Management For Environmental Protection (Yangon Region)
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "mitv" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2018-02-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Suu Kyi Repeats Call for ‘Wider Perspective’ on Myitsone Dam
Description: "Amid increasing pressure from China to resume the controversial Myitsone Dam project, the State Counsellor has promised that her government will make a final decision on the dam based upon political, economic and environmental considerations, and vowed to make public the details of the decision. When asked her opinion of the Myitsone Dam project at a meeting with local residents in Pyay, Bago Region on Thursday, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said, “I would like you to think about the project from a wider perspective.” She said, “We should not think based on one perspective. If we think from only one perspective, we could make the wrong decision.” The State Counsellor said the final decision would have to be politically, socially, economically and environmentally sound and sustainable. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi did not offer her own stance on whether the dam project should be scrapped, nor did she say when a decision would be made. However, she said her government should not abolish projects approved by a previous government just because it did not comply with the current administration’s policies. If government of the day were to break promises made by previous governments, the country would lose credibility, she said. She added that her government would make decisions transparently, not only when it comes to the Myitsone project, but also on other projects..."
Source/publisher: "Belt & Road News" (China)
Date of publication: 2019-03-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Climate change matters to Myanmar
Sub-title: Myanmar faces many development challenges, but climate change presents the greatest of all. While the effects of climate change are felt in many ways, it is the threat to the country’s future development that makes it so significant.
Description: "Myanmar’s location and physical diversity means climate change takes many forms – in the dry zone, temperatures are increasing and droughts are becoming more prevalent, while the coastal zone remains at constant risk of intensifying cyclones. Extreme flooding in the current wet season has seen over 190,000 people seek emergency shelter, with the damage to homes, schools and farms compounding the impact of last year’s floods, and those from the year before. More intense and frequent climatic events would greatly affect Myanmar, which is already one of the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather events. With memories of 2008’s catastrophic Cyclone Nargis still vivid, the development gains that have been made in recent years remain highly susceptible to such risks. The need to prepare for, respond to, and recover from, these natural disasters costs time and resources that could otherwise be spent on more pressing development priorities. There is no question that Myanmar must work with the international community to slow down and reverse global warming, while also building its resilience. The government of Myanmar recognises that a clean environment, with healthy and functioning ecosystems, is the foundation upon which the country’s social, cultural and economic development must be sustained. It has therefore committed to a national development framework that incorporates the notion of environmental sustainability for future generations by systematically embedding environmental and climate considerations into all future policies and projects..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2019-09-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Fighting climate change with bamboo
Topic: Bamboo construction, Climate Change, Global Warming, ASEAN
Topic: Bamboo construction, Climate Change, Global Warming, ASEAN
Description: "The world has 11 years left, as reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to beef up its efforts to reduce global temperatures before it crosses the threshold leading to climate catastrophe. While ASEAN countries have expressed their joint commitment through national pledges to take action and fight climate change, they are also focusing on developing their nations as well. GlobalData’s lead economist for Construction Industry, Danny Richards, said that construction output among ASEAN member states will grow six percent annually over the next five years. However, the building sector accounts for 39 percent of global carbon emissions, where 28 percent is from building operations (heating, cooling, lighting, etc.) and 11 percent is attributed to embodied-carbon emission which refers to carbon that is released during the construction process and material manufacturing. Cement and steel emit eight percent and nine percent, respectively of the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world. Director of the World Green Building Council (World GBC), James Drinkwater, says that once a building of high-embodied-carbon emission is constructed, those emissions add to the total amount of carbon in the air. The construction sector can reduce carbon emission by using materials with low or no embodied carbon..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The ASEAN Post"
Date of publication: 2019-05-09
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: From spongy function to year 2100
Sub-title: Yay Chann argues that it is time for Yangon City to build climate resilienc
Description: "Last June, a local policy think tank, Another Development, produced a research report related to green spaces in Yangon City. The report pointed out that green spaces in Yangon City had been reduced by nearly 40% over the course of 25 years. In addition, more green spaces in city areas have begun to face the challenges that come along with economic development, population growth, and rapid urbanization. A decline in the number of green spaces in Yangon City is bad, particularly when it comes to building a climate resilient city. Green spaces are critical in building the environment of a climate resilient city. As a forestry term, green spaces are described as the metaphor of the “sponge” (like those used in washing dishes) because such spaces act like a sponge: they generally absorb and maintain water in rainy season, and gradually release it recharging ground water in summer. Green spaces also play a key role in regulating climate, filtering pollution, and cooling the environment. Therefore, protecting green spaces is important to building climate resilience..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "TEACIRCLEOXFORD"
Date of publication: 2019-09-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Environmental awareness is rising in Myanmar
Description: "How long does it take garbage to decompose? Do you know it? According to scientists, plastic items could take up to 500 years to decompose in landfills. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest issue worldwide, with statistic showing that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050 if we do not change our habits. A simple example of the consequence of this ecological disaster, this year, a whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags. In Myanmar, 80 million plastic bags are used every day and over 1690 tons of garbage is generated per day on the average from townships in Yangon Region, and 10 % of them are plastic waste. The situation is certainly not going to improve. Indeed, plastic bottles and solid waste production tripled in the last 5 years. In 2014, The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) - which is a method of quantifying and numerically marking the environmental performance of a state's policies- ranked Myanmar 164 out of 178 countries analyzed. According to the EPI, almost every aspect of performance related to regulation or infrastructure has scores among the lowest globally. For instance, Wastewater treatment was ranked 145. In addition, ecosystem vitality and protection of terrestrial biodiversity come out as particularly weak as Environmental health was ranked 137 with a score of 41.39. Forest and water resources as seen as the main Environmental Concerns basing on the Environmental Performance Assessment funded by the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme. However, Myanmar government tries to tackle this issue through law and regulations. In its Constitution of 2008, Sec. 45 states that “The Union shall protect and conserve natural environment” and according to Sec. 390 (b) “Every citizen has the duty to assist the Union carrying out the environmental conservation”. Moreover, in his report, Dr. San Oo Director of Environmental Conservation Department, describes “sustainability Roadmap for Myanmar” whose legal framework is mainly based on two laws..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "CCI France Myanmar"
Date of publication: 2018-06-20
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Myanmar National Statement at UNEA 4
Description: "National Statement of Myanmar at the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly Delivered by Dr. San Oo, Head of Delegation of Myanmar, Deputy Director General, Environmental Conservation Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UN Environment
Date of publication: 2019-03-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Myanmar’s Environmental Challenges
Description: "After eight years collecting dust on the planning shelves and also at the confluence of the Mali and N’mai Rivers in upper Burma, the Chinese are seeking to revive the Myitsone Dam, which has been stalled since 2011 after then-President Thein Sein, in an unprecedented about-turn, put it on hold amid massive protest. In late 2009, as Asia Sentinel reported, a team of 80 Burmese and Chinese scientists and environmentalists conducted a 945-page environmental impact study of the Myitsone Dam for China Power Investment itself and concluded that the dam should never be built. Although the Chinese government ignored the recommendations of its own scientists, the Burma Rivers Network, which opposes the dam, obtained a copy of the assessment and made it public. Nonetheless, the Ministry of Electric Power-1 said it had done its own environmental assessment and the dam would be built regardless. The Myitsone dam was opposed by a wide range of environmentalists, social activists, artists and others including Aung San Suu Kyi, who requested a review of the facility earlier this year. Thousands of people have been displaced from its catchment area, which is said to be as big as the island of Singapore. Beijing nonetheless sees Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis as a perfect opportunity to rekindle the dam, which would displace thousands of local people in Kachin State and flood a vast area of significant biodiversity and natural resources..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Asia Sentinel"
Date of publication: 2019-08-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Myanmar’s lifeblood in peril
Sub-title: The Ayeyarwady River, dubbed the lifeblood of Myanmar and home to a threatened species of dolphin, is being suffocated by tonnes of plastic being dumped into it every day. It has been ranked the ninth most polluted river in the world, behind the Philippin
Description: "A study by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Thant Myanmar, a non-profit organisation combating plastic pollution in Myanmar, showed that 119 tonnes of plastic waste enter the river daily, based on water samples taken by experts along the Ayeyarwady from Mandalay to Pyay in Bago Region. The Delta Region dumps the most plastic waste in the river each day, around 32 tonnes, and Yangon dumps about 29 tonnes of plastic a day in the river. The waste comprises 62 percent hard plastic, such as bottle caps, 22pc soft plastic, such as betel nut bags, 9pc Styrofoam, such as food boxes, and 7pc multi-layer flexible, such as instant coffee packages. The study’s findings were discussed by experts and policymakers recently at a workshop in Nay Pyi Taw entitled “Plastic pollution in Myanmar: Focus on the Ayeyarwady River"..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Myanmar Times
Date of publication: 2019-07-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Climate Change in Myanmar and Central Dry Zone
Description: "Myanmar is generally regarded as a country endowed with rich natural resources: minerals, forests, fertile agricultural lands with plentiful of Monsoon rains, and opulent marine resources. • Located between the east Himalayan syntaxis and the Andaman Sea to the south, washed by the Bay of Bengal on the west, Myanmar links Alpine- Himalayan orogenic belt to the west with its extension in the rest of Southeast Asia. • Myanmar is natural hazard or disaster prone country, being located in the tectonically active Alpide Seismic Belt. • Because of rapid growth in population, industries and urban areas, like elsewhere in the developing world, environmental degradation and other man-made hazards or disasters are also on the rise...ဓ
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Myanmar Environment Institute (MEI)
Date of publication: 2015-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 2.2 MB
more
Title: Conservation Landscape Manager Position Available
Topic: capacity building, landscape restoration, natural resources management, stakeholder engagement, sustainable development
Topic: capacity building, landscape restoration, natural resources management, stakeholder engagement, sustainable development
Description: "The Conservation Landscape Manager plays the key leadership and management role in World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF’s) effort to conserve Myanmar’s Dawna Tenasserim Landscape (DTL) Key responsibilities will be, among others: Building and maintaining critical partnerships and relations with key stakeholders, especially with CSOs, NGOs, the Karen National Union’s (KNU) Forest Department and the Myanmar Union government Forest Department; Identify and establish strategic partnerships needed to facilitate delivery of shared conservation goals in DTL; Manage the team in WWF’s Dawei office to ensure alignment of activities with WWF’s strategic objectives; Work closely with the WWF-MM Conservation Director to provide leadership and overall direction and coordination..."
Source/publisher: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) via World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Myanmar)
Date of publication: 2018-10-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
more
Title: Protected Areas and Law Enforcement Technical Advisor Position
Topic: biodiversity, capacity building, environmental economics, forest conservation, landscape restoration, stakeholder engagement, sustainable development
Topic: biodiversity, capacity building, environmental economics, forest conservation, landscape restoration, stakeholder engagement, sustainable development
Description: " WWF-Myanmar is now inviting applications for a Protected Areas and Law Enforcement Technical Advisor position based in Dawei, Myanmar. The Protected Areas and Law Enforcement Technical Advisor’s major function, among others includes: Provision of technical advice to relevant stakeholders; Provision and/or coordinate basic field ranger training for existing and new protected area rangers; Support the training and operational capacity of elephant anti-poaching units in the region; Play a supporting role in initiatives to design and implement a national programme for ranger professionalization..."
Source/publisher: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) via The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Date of publication: 2018-10-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: Nature in peril: The risk to forests and wildlife from the Dawei-Htee Khee Road
Description: "Over the last four years, WWF-Myanmar and its partners have been working together to better understand the biodiversity and ecological processes of the Dawna Tenasserim landscape. To date, WWF has worked with the Karen Forest Department (under Karen National Union - KNU) to carry out camera trap surveys of the area. WWF has also worked with Columbia University in the United States to understand past climate trends as well as future climate projections that could impact the landscape. Furthermore, WWF collaborated with the Natural Capital Project to map ecosystem services and how changes in land use will impact on the provisioning of these services 4 as well as with the Smithsonian Institution, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and Flora and Fauna International (FFI) to summarize results of biodiversity surveys and communicate the biodiversity richness of this landscape. Finally, WWF worked with the University of Hong Kong to identify ideas and technical solutions for how infrastructure can be developed more sustainably in this particular landscape. Now, more than ever, we are equipped with not only the information about the area’s biodiversity value but also the threats posed to people and nature by built infrastructure, such as the Dawei-Htee Khee road. This report is the fourth in a series of reports (see below) that have been published between 2015- 2018. The first report published in 2015, highlighted the need to consider information about ecosystem services, land use change, and wildlife in the planning of the road and the broader land use planning of the area (A Better road to Dawei— Protecting wildlife, sustaining nature, benefiting people). A design manual, published in 2016 as the second report, showcased design options for accommodating wildlife crossings and bio-engineering techniques for slope stabilization as well as alignment options to minimize deforestation and maximize social and environmental benefits (Design manual—Building a more sustainable road to Dawei). Based on a request from the road developer in 2016 regarding the identification of wildlife movement patterns in the landscape, WWF worked with conservation organizations active in the area and regional mammal experts to identify critical crossing areas for mammals based on modelling (Wildlife crossing—Locating species’ movement corridors in Tanintharyi, published in 2016) 5 . This fourth report specifically brings together several years of work that has looked in depth at what is at stake in this important ecological corridor system—a system that keeps key forested areas in Thailand and Myanmar connected and which the Dawei-Htee Khee road cuts across. This report outlines the history of the road and the newly approved 2018 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Dawei-Htee Khee two lane road project 6 . It furthermore highlights the current and projected impacts from deforestation within specific areas in the landscape that are deemed important habitat for many wildlife species. Moreover, this report presents case studies from other countries where successful land use planning and mitigation measures occurred in and around similar landscapes where road construction has taken place. Finally, by drawing on these examples and the evidence collected in the Dawna Tenasserim landscape, this report provides a set of recommendations for key stakeholders listing how they can implement better land use planning within this important landscape to avoid further destruction and deterioration of these “wild highways”. It should be noted that while there are many social and environmental issues associated with the Dawei-Htee Khee road project, this report only focuses on forest and wildlife related issues and the broader fragmentation impacts this road will have on the landscape. WWF recognizes that many social issues related to the road construction, including poor consultations, inadequate or lack of compensation, road safety issues and loss of livelihoods are yet to be resolved and should be further studied and addressed. That is, however, beyond the scope of this technical report assessing impacts on forest and wildlife from the Dawei-Htee Khee road..."
Source/publisher: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Date of publication: 2019-07-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 1.89 MB
more
Title: Improving water and sanitation facilities of people from Dry Zone
Description: "A project funded by the Australian Government (AUSAID) for empowering people helped 9,971 families representing 69,101 individuals in 40 villages in Wundwin Township through the community driven approach. More information can be found at: Safe and Sustainable Access to WASH for Rural Communities..."
Source/publisher: UN-Habitat Myanmar
Date of publication: 2018-07-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: World Environmental Day celebrated in Nay Pyi Taw on 5 June 2018
Description: "MRTV broacasts about World Environmental Day celebrated in Nay Pyi Taw on 5 June 2018. This year theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution."....."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UN-Habitat Myanmar
Date of publication: 2018-06-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
more
Title: MCCA Case Study 1 – Forums, films and Facebook: Raising awareness of climate change in Myanmar with policymakers, the media and the public
Description: "Myanmar is one of the most vulnerable countries to the negative effects of climate change, and the majority of Myanmar people are also highly vulnerable to climate variability and natural disasters. Myanmar’s delta region is exposed to sea level rise and cyclones, and the central dry zone is vulnerable to drought and floods, and 60% of the population works in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, which are highly sensitive to climatic variations. Already, changes in the timing of monsoon rainfall are hurting farmers’ income and food security, along with floods, droughts, heat and extreme weather events. A contributing factor to the impact of climate change in Myanmar is the limited understanding and awareness, of both policymakers and the public, of the risks and potential negative impacts of climate change on economic, social and environmental development. The MCCA strategy on awareness-raising concluded that in 2015, a basic awareness of climate change existed but was still superficial, even for key influential groups such as policymakers and the media. Myanmar has begun to improve education about environmental issues and climate change, including incorporation of climate change information into the public education curriculum (for primary schools and universities), but general awareness is limited. MCCA surveys showed that people were familiar with basic climate change terms, but did not understand the concepts. Improving awareness and knowledge about climate change will help vulnerable communities and sectors to respond effectively to current and future climate change impacts..."
Source/publisher: HABITAT (United Nations Centre for Human Settlements)
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 178.38 KB
more
Title: Developing Myanmar’s National Climate Change Policy
Description: As countries seek to fulfil their responsibilities under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, many are looking to develop national climate change policies that set out their long-term vision and provide a coherent response to climate change across all levels and sectors. The Government of Myanmar, having previously sought IIED’s support to develop a climate change strategy and action plan, invited IIED to provide technical expertise to develop a national policy. Working with The Myanmar Climate Change Alliance — an EU-funded, government-led partnership involving national government, local authorities, development partners, civil society and the private sector, implemented by UN Environment and UN-Habitat — three members of IIED’s global climate law, policy and governance team travelled to Myanmar in December 2016. Extensive consultations had already taken place to develop the national climate change strategy and action plan, so government officials had already considered many of the issues and identified priorities. Parallel work on a National Environmental Policy and a National Urban Policy provided opportunities to coordinate and harmonise efforts. Some of the approaches used and lessons from the project are highlighted below. Consultation, consultation, consultation The initial December visit allowed the team to understand the priorities and expectations of different parts of the government. This provided the basis for a draft outline for the policy, which was refined and developed through an iterative process of consultation, review and comment. The team made a second visit in February 2017 when they presented a fleshed-out version of the draft at a full-day workshop with the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, regional ministers and officials, and representatives from government partner agencies, civil society and the media, ensuring input from different sectors. The team was particularly keen to consult with government officials at the regional level and received support from the Director General of the Environmental Conservation Department to do this. Regional officials would be responsible for much of the policy implementation and would also understand the realities on the ground. This resulted in a more informed approach for the team and helped ensure understanding and support for the policy at regional level. Following further review and comment, the full policy text was presented at a validation workshop with ministers and other stakeholders in April 2017..."
Source/publisher: iied
Date of publication: 2018-04-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 160.47 KB
more
Title: Against all odds, rural women in Myanmar cope with natural disasters and climate change
Description: "Eight years after experiencing the devastating Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar’s worst natural disaster to date in the country, rural communities, especially women, in the Ayeyarwady River Delta, live in constant dread of another monster sea storm. Although better prepared with improved early warning systems and ready to quickly pack essentials before taking refuge in the village cyclone shelters with their families, the women of Pinsalu in Labutta district in the Delta face a higher risk to their lives during a natural disaster and are more exposed to the growing ravages of climate change. In case of emergency, the women have to take care of the children, sick and elderly at home as the men are often away at work on the farms or fishing in the river. During community consultations for a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) climate change gender vulnerability assessment, the women of Pinsalu and Labutta villages which were worst affected by the May 2008 Cyclone Nargis, said they need to be better prepared for natural disasters as they are primarily responsible for the safety of vulnerable family members. They are trying to procure lifejackets and supplies of safe drinking water, food, medicine and electric lights. They also need to improve their preparedness to cope with the worsening impact of the changing climate on their daily lives. Although women are actively engaged in farming and fisheries, their role in these main livelihood sectors is still not recognized and, as a result, they are often excluded from government-run climate change adaptation training for farmers and fishers. The findings of the UNEP gender assessment, underscore how climate change is affecting rural women and men in Myanmar, especially in a country where 15.1 per cent of agricultural landowning households are headed by women. The women of Labutta lack access to information and other resources needed to adapt to the changing climate. As a result, these women who play pivotal social and economic roles in their communities and often are breadwinners, are the most vulnerable. Over the past decade in Pinsalu, where the main source of livelihoods is fishing, the fish catch has been reduced dramatically because of rising temperatures and damage to mangroves. In the village of Kyauk Hmaw, river bank erosion damages roads, houses and the rice that is stored by the river side, while floods are harming the paddy crop. During heavy rains and floods, women cannot travel to Labutta to sell their crop, fish catch and home-made snacks. On the other hand, erratic rainfall in Bit Tut village sometimes destroys the once-in-a-year rice harvest. Salt water intrusion in the coastal villages has increased salinity in drinking water with severe health implications, especially for pregnant women..."
Source/publisher: UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)
Date of publication: 2016-08-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: Water-saving tech, veg gardens grow hope in Myanmar's Dry Zone
Description: "Maung Maung, 46, in his home garden where he grows leafy vegetables using hydroponics in Shwe Bon Thar village, Myingyan Township, part of Myanmar's Dry Zone on Feb 22, 2017. TRF/Thin Lei Win PAKOKKU, Myanmar, March 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Myo Myint fondly remembers when his one-acre farm regularly produced 100 baskets of rice. But as rainfall became erratic in this arid region, he started growing betel leaves, a less thirsty cash crop. This summer, the 50-year-old is considering leaving fallow his land in Myanmar's central "Dry Zone" because when the stream behind his house dries up in March, the cost of irrigation outstrips the income from any crop. A 2016 drought followed by heavy rains already battered his farm. "Water is becoming more scarce every year. I want to keep growing the crops but there's not much I can do without water," he said, sitting beneath the ground floor of his stilt house. His village of Myay Ni Twin, in Pakokku township, is around two hours' drive from Bagan, Myanmar's top tourist destination known for its ancient Buddhist temples. "When I was growing up, the stream didn't go dry. Now there's less rain, and it's very hard to plant things," he said. Myanmar recently emerged from decades of military dictatorship only to face a bigger existential threat. The Southeast Asian nation of 50 million people is the world's second most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index from research group Germanwatch. Studies have shown the onset of the monsoon is becoming more variable, increasing the risk of drought. The Dry Zone, an area comprising 58 townships in Mandalay, Magwe and Sagaing, is home to around 10 million people, who mostly rely on rain-fed agriculture. It suffers from year-round water shortages. A recent assessment by the Myanmar Climate Change Alliance (MCCA), an initiative funded by the European Union and United Nations, predicted a temperature increase of up to 3 degrees Celsius and a shorter monsoon in Pakokku by 2050. Farmers like Myo Myint - already struggling to make ends meet - will bear the brunt of those changes. His village has a well, but pumping water costs too much, he said. So he was intrigued by the prototypes of soil moisture sensors in the hands of Tayzar Lin, a product designer with Proximity Designs, a Myanmar-based social enterprise that develops affordable products for farmers. "I've been curious since I saw something similar on Facebook," said the farmer, as Tayzar Lin plunged into the soil a boxy contraption with a dial at the top and an alloy-tipped brass rod at the bottom. The hand on the dial moved to green, showing the soil still held water. Red means dry, and blue means too much water. Myo Myint dreams of watering only when needed, instead of every two days as he now does, to save the precious resource..."
Creator/author: Thin Lei Win, Maung Maung
Source/publisher: UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)
Date of publication: 2017-03-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more
Title: SEI Environmental Strategy for Myanmar (2019-2028)
Description: "Since 2013, SEI has engaged with Myanmar partners and stakeholders to support sustainable development through evdence-based participatory planning processes in the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin River Basins. SEI’s Environmental Strategy for Myanmar lays the groundwork for a new chapter of work to build on our achievements and lessons learned in Myanmar. The Strategy will guide our research, policy development and capacity development collaborations on environment and development in Myanmar for the next 10 years (2019-2028) as we continue our mission to support science-based decision-making towards a transforma - tive change for an environmentally sound and socially equitable Myanmar. This Strategy recognizes that innovation, adaptation, resilience and long-term partnerships are key to our future success. Thus, this is a living document, subject to revision and refinement that will ensure our gains and success are both adaptable and sustainable. A comprehensive impact assessment and review will be performed every three years, in 2022, 2025 and 2028, through application of SEI’s monitoring, evaluation and learning system to evaluate our progress in delivering benefits at scale and in recognizing lessons to be drawn upon in the future..."
Source/publisher: Stockholm Environment Institute
Date of publication: 2019-05-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 378.78 KB
more
Title: Shrimp farms threaten Myanmar’s remaining mangroves
Description: "In Myanmar, mangroves have disappeared at an unprecedented clip. The rate of deforestation in the country is the highest in Southeast Asia, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2016. This is big news, both locally and worldwide, because mangroves are a crucial component of the fight against global warming. Scientists say it is extremely important to try to preserve mangrove forests or let degraded areas regrow, because a hectare of mangrove forest can buffer a lot more carbon than an equivalent area of tropical forest. Mangroves have a big impact on climate, because while they’re only found in tropical areas and cover around 140,000 square kilometers – less than 3% the extent of the Amazon rainforest – they are rated as powerhouses when it comes to carbon storage. Studies indicate that mangroves can store four times as much carbon as rainforests can, mostly in the soil beneath mangrove trees. Htay Lin, secretary of the Mangrove Service Network, an environmental organization based in Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial capital, estimates that only 20% of the mangroves in the Irrawaddy Delta remain. Most have been cleared for aquaculture or rice paddy fields. Those that survive are in forest and wildlife reserves near the city of Bogale..."
Source/publisher: Asia Times
Date of publication: 2019-05-04
Date of entry/update: 2019-05-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
more