Every year after the rice harvest, some 2.5 million farmers in northwest India burn the remaining stubble to prepare their fields for the subsequent wheat crop. Crop residue burning causes massive air pollution affecting millions of people across the Indo-Gangetic Plains. We examine different tillage practices to provide urgently needed empirical evidence on how profitable it is for farmers to adopt no-burn technologies, especially the ‘Happy Seeder’ (HS) which is capable of sowing wheat directly into large amounts of crop residue.

Until recently, women have not been seen as having the potential for entrepreneurial success. Yet women’s engagement in the energy sector could substantially improve energy access for those most underserved. This article examines the role of women as energy entrepreneurs from the perspective of gender inequality within the energy industry.

Over 1.3bn people worldwide lack access to modern energy. In Africa alone 600m remain off-grid, 400m live in extreme poverty, and both numbers are expected to grow since grid expansion and economic growth are not predicted to keep pace with population growth. In addition, almost 6 million children under 5 die each year from preventable diseases, preliminary research suggesting that the primary causes are respiratory infections, and smoke from traditional lighting.

Asia is facing serious environmental challenges including urban air pollution and the effects of global climate change. As a major source of greenhouse gases, what happens in Asia will play a crucial role in determining the extent to which the world warms over coming decades. This paper reviews key environmental challenges faced by the region and the growing opportunities for a transition to a cleaner economy powered by zero‐emission energy sources.

Vietnam experienced a solar photovoltaic (PV) installation boom in the first half of 2019, with installed capacity increasing to 4,450 MW. This saw Vietnam overtake Thailand to have the largest installed solar PV capacity in Southeast Asia. This paper investigates the underlying drivers of Vietnam's solar boom, barriers to further solar adoption, and suitable strategies for the next stage of solar adoption.

Abstract

This work explores the consequences that different energy poverty definitions and measures might have for the identification of  the  energy poor. Using the  2017 National Survey of  Public Energy Perception applied to  a sample of 3,500 households in Chile, we compare the respective identification outcomes of applying the ten percent rule index (TPRI) and our proposed Perception-based Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (PMEPI) against the monetary poverty identification outcome.

KEY MESSAGES

Sustainable and efficient governance and utilization of natural resources requires:

1. Transparency, accountability, rule of law, inclusive participation and cooperation of all stakeholders and actors in natural resources. 2. Balancing economic, social and environmental goals in all government programs and plans including private investments.