A look back at 2021: Meeting Green targets; projects that make the most of what exists; and ideas taking shape

Each December, FuturArc wraps up with a Year-End Issue that reflects on current efforts in sustainability, articulates the learnings from the past and points to what we can focus on in the future. For the online edition of FuturArc, we often report on events and projects that underline Green discussions in the moment. In case […]

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Demand for Green buildings in Malaysia—A Snapshot

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The demand for energy-efficient and sustainable buildings with healthy work environment is a growing trend, especially in developed economies. Occupiers may conduct portfolio reviews to understand which buildings match carbon neutrality targets. For example, there is demand by occupiers in the United States on environmental, social and governance (ESG) elements not only for office but […]

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The Future of Offshore Wind in Asia

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Offshore wind can provide utility-scale renewable electricity as cheaply as combined-cycle gas turbines and other well-established forms of generation. The offshore wind market in Asia is expected to experience massive expansion over the next decade as the governments face increasing energy sources and hit their net-zero emissions targets. Taiwan is anticipating 10.5 GW of new […]

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Is co-living the answer to urban housing unaffordability crisis in Asia?

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Especially in Asia, one of the grave concerns for many low- and middle-income households is access to affordable and adequate housing. This is even more acute now after the prolonged, multi-layered crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Based on Asian Development Bank’s research in 2019 on housing price involving 211 cities in 27 developing countries […]

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From ashes to Green concrete

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Globally, via the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leading cities and companies are committing to a highly efficient and decarbonised building operations by 2050. Climate change has not stopped for COVID-19 Millions will die if world fails on climate promises But to achieve a net-zero circular economy, one of the strategies […]

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China’s impact on construction, economy & environment: A snapshot

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In the construction sector, China is in the forefront of production and manufacturing of parts, as well as technology—case in point: the agility and speed at which hospitals and temporary isolation facilities had been set up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Office buildings in the Capital Business District on 16 November 2014. This is the primary […]

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Consuming content digitally

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Without a doubt, technology has been pushed to the forefront and put to the test as the world scrambled to deal with the pandemic. Economies and travel grinded to a halt, as lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing measures were implemented. As the number of people under self-quarantine increases, the variety of digital services for entertainment […]

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Land use and climate change as drivers of pandemic risk and biodiversity loss

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A transformative change in the global approach to dealing with infectious diseases is needed. Failing that, future pandemics will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, do more damage to the world economy and kill more people than COVID-19, warns a report on biodiversity and pandemics by 22 leading experts from around the world (Intergovernmental Science-Policy […]

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Seizing the urban opportunity: Invest in low-carbon cities to protect climate and boost jobs

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The Coalition for Urban Transitions released a new report Seizing the Urban Opportunity on 17 March 2021. The report focuses on emerging economies as they face particularly complex challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. The six key countries — China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa — produce about a third of […]

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Switching coal plants to biomass cofiring is no magic bullet

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Over the past year, Indonesia’s energy policy teams have devoted new resources to a plan focused on efforts to extend the life of PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara’s (PLN’s) coal-fired power fleet by switching to biomass cofiring. The plan focuses on leveraging PLN’s existing 18 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power plant capacity. The planners are betting […]

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