Mekong River Commission Faces Radical Change

Published on Jan 30, 2016 by Luke Hunt

Financial mismanagement and political bullying has contributed to spending cuts at the Mekong River Commission (MRC) forcing the troubled, Vientiane-based research and management institution into a radical restructuring under a new chief executive officer.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

AEC Shamed by Toxic Haze and Laos Dams

Published on Nov 1, 2015 by Luke Hunt

A grand entrance by the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), when it launches in less than nine weeks, onto the world stage was supposed to herald the dawning of a prosperous new age for the more than 600 million people who live within the region.But the political realities are already delivering a different, unwanted take. Bad? Even Southeast Asia’s harshest critics are trying hard not to crow over the latest debacles, for fear of tempting fate with the region’s notoriously thin-skinned leaders.Most telling is the toxic smog which has been allowed to escalate for 20 years. A Wall Street Journal report quoting Greenpeace says 110,000 people die annually from haze-related illnesses.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

UN backs Australia's Plan to Save the Great Barrier Reef

Published on Jul 22, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Australia has escaped attempts by environmentalists to have its iconic Great Barrier Reef listed as endangered by the United Nations World Heritage Committee after heavy lobbying and the fast-tracking of a 10-year $1.5 billion rescue bid.Read more from Luke Hunt in Bonn, Germany, for The Nikkei Asian Review..

Saving the Great Barrier Reef

Published on Jul 3, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Diplomat correspondent Luke Hunt recently covered the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, and its decision on whether to list the Great Barrier Reef, off of Australia’s northeast coast, as endangered.Listen to the podcast from The Diplomat.

UNESCO's Great Barrier Reef Decision Has Ramifications

Published on Jun 14, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Draft recommendations by UNESCO have notched up a minor victory for the Australian government and efforts to thwart hard­line environmentalists who want the Great Barrier Reef listed as endangered, but any final decision still rests on a final vote to be held in Bonn later this month.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..