Ecology & Social Justice

Capitalist patriarchy drives mineral extraction, treating nature and women as interchangeable resources for profit. Materialist eco-feminism reveals how this system makes exploitation look natural. 

The side event, "From Voices to Action: Indigenous Leadership in Achieving Affordable and Clean Energy," was one of the side events of the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development held in Bangkok, Thailand.

To mark the International Day of Action for Rivers on 14 March 2026, this photo essay flows through eight Southeast Asian rivers—each a ribbon of memory, livelihood, and life. 

There seems to be no rainbow after the rain, particularly when the storm was as strong as Cyclone Senyar, which struck three Indonesian provinces on the island of Sumatra on November 25, 2025 leaving thousands of people homeless and hundreds dead. 

Indonesia is the world’s seventh-largest cocoa producer and the third-largest exporter of cocoa beans. Despite growing demand for cocoa, farmers face climate change impacts, aging cocoa trees, and environmental degradation, making the country’s cocoa sector more vulnerable to weather-related disasters.

Recent super typhoons in Southeast Asia starkly illustrate the urgent reality of Loss and Damage caused by the climate crisis, with communities facing devastation and increasing vulnerability. 

The Philippines, a nation rich in minerals, stands as a stark example of extractivism, prioritizing resource exploitation for export despite devastating environmental and social costs. 

The Philippines, one of the world's most cyclone-prone nations, faces escalating climate risks, highlighted by the recent onslaught of super typhoons. As climate change intensifies storm impacts, vulnerable communities, especially in farming sectors like Atok, are at greater risk of poverty and food insecurity. 

ท่ามกลางความพยายามของโลกในการเปลี่ยนมาใช้พลังงานสะอาด เมียนมา ประเทศที่เผชิญวิกฤตทางการเมืองยาวนานที่สุดแห่งหนึ่งของโลก ได้กลายเป็นเป้าหมายที่ประเทศมหาอำนาจทั่วโลก ไม่ว่าจะเป็นสหรัฐอเมริกา อินเดียหรือจีน ต่างพยายามเข้ามาจับจองแหล่งแร่หายาก (rare earth elements) และแร่สำคัญ (critical mineral) 

In the global bid for clean energy, Myanmar, which is embroiled in one of the world’s longest political crises is caught in the middle as the world’s most powerful nations – the United States, India and China race to access its rare earth elements (REE) and critical mineral (CTM) deposits. 

“We should use this declaration as it is, a commitment by 11 member states of ASEAN including Timor-Leste after its official admission in October 2025. This declaration is our regional standard. As a next step, we have to do a gap analysis to make sure what we say on paper will become a reality.”

Talustusan, a community once known for its abundant water resources, found itself scrambling for water during the 2024 El Niño. While residents managed a temporary fix in 2025, local officials acknowledge it is not sustainable. With rising demand and the climate crisis, the community understands the need for a long-term solution. 

The existing climate finance arrangements are deceptive and harmful. Its lack of enforceability allows developed countries to evade real accountability, turning climate finance into a tool of soft power rather than reparative justice. 

The strong claims of effective waste management by the Western and some developed countries came into question after Indonesia experienced an influx of foreign waste coinciding with China’s decision to close its doors. 

A transboundary Kok River in Northern Thailand has been a source of livelihood of thousands in riverine communities. Recently, it has faced rising levels of heavy metal contamination, likely from suspected unregulated rare earth mining upstream in Myanmar. 

Despite the claims of the CM2CET’s frameworks, civil society organizations, environmental defenders, and communities are raising urgent concerns. Beneath the “green and sustainable” promises, climate-smart mining is just a rebranding of destructive mining, one that threatens already fragile ecosystems, displaces Indigenous peoples, and ignores the deeper roots of the climate crisis.

The Mekong riverbank gardening is a critical part of local livelihoods. It supports riverine communities through vital food production, reciprocal exchanges, and additional income generation. However, changes to the river’s ecosystems caused by many large-scale dams threaten these ways of life. 

Thirty two Indigenous leaders from thirteen countries have issued a declaration calling for fundamental reforms to global certification schemes that impact Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

This article explores the 2025 Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) and its partnership with China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI), which may open the region to more opportunities in commerce, tourism, and environmentally sustainable travel options.

Climate-smart mining appears to be a better alternative to traditional mining, known for its destructive nature. By hyphenating ‘climate’ with smart mining, it is a repackaged tool to attract the mineral-rich but developing countries.