Environment

China has passed a law that levies taxes on pollution, but ignores carbon dioxide, one of the major contributors to global warming, according to the web site of the country's highest legislative body.

Tens of billions has been spent on building dykes and embankments to protect Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An Town, Quang Nam Province from coastal erosion, but the situation has worsened.

Thai police rescued two baby orangutans in a sting operation after undercover officers arranged to buy the primates over a mobile phone messaging app from wildlife traffickers for nearly $20,000, officials said.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha has blamed the El Nino phenomenon for the recent inaccurate weather forecast reports.

Hong Kong-based China Everbright International Limited (Everbright) has received the investment certificate to develop the first waste-to-energy plant in the Mekong Delta region in general and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho in particular.

Cambodian officials have seized 1.5 tonnes of illegal ivory and animal parts hidden in a timber shipment from Mozambique that was destined for China, a wildlife charity and an official said on Thursday.

China launched a satellite to monitor its greenhouse gas emissions early on Thursday, the latest step in efforts to cut its carbon footprint, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Vietnam accounts for 87 of the 163 new species of animals and plants discovered in the Greater Mekong region, according to a report released recently by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing on Tuesday, choking China's capital in a haze that spurred authorities to cancel flights and close some highways in emergency measures to cut down on air pollution.

Ha Tinh authorities said they were investigating a Facebook user criticised for posting many photos showing his killing of wild animals.

A rainbow-headed snake, a tiny frog and a lizard with dragon-like horns are among more than 150 new species confirmed by scientists last year in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong region, researchers said.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung called for greater efforts to use energy effectively and economically at a conference hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Hanoi on December 16.

The Government is developing guidelines enabling People’s Committees of districts and provinces to sue polluters, Pham Van Loi, head of the Environmental Study Institute under the Vietnam Environment Administration, said at a recent conference on sustainable development.

World Wild Fund for Nature and Vietnamese nature authorities on Wednesday kicked off an emergency project to protect the biggest herd of elephants in the country from extinction.

The Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers jointly launched a training course on protecting dolphins during fishing tuna in Phu Yen province.

The continual erosion of forested land by local people has narrowed the living space for elephants in Dong Nai Province, leading to more conflict. In addition, the province’s elephant conservation project has still proceeded at a very slow pace.

Hanoi People's Committee said changeable weather and discharged waste water are the main causes that killed huge amounts of fish in many lakes in the city.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked to continue monitoring 19 beaches in the four central provinces polluted by the mass fish deaths following a toxic leak from the Formosa Ha Tinh steel plant.

Over 600 participants took part in a fun run at Ciputra urban area, North Tu Liem District, Hanoi, aimed at supporting and acting to prevent the extinction of wild animals while urging the community not to use herbal medicinal