Effective management of natural resources across national borders will help to reduce resource scarcity and enable cooperation, thus reducing the risk of conflict between countries.
This was a key message from a Nov 11 statement by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and four of his ministerial counterparts in the six-country Green Group – a multinational initiative that aims to promote green policies and solutions in international relations.
"Without coordinated and decisive global action, increasing resource scarcity and environmental degradation can escalate tensions, potentially triggering conflicts," said Dr Balakrishnan and four ministers from Slovenia, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica and the United Arab Emirates in a statement on day one of the UN climate change conference (COP29). Iceland is also part of the Green Group.
Water is a major source of transboundary conflict between countries.
In 2020, Mexican farmers seized a dam in its border state to prevent water from being diverted from their parched fields and sent to the US. They also ambushed hundreds of soldiers during the conflict.
Denne historien er fra November 13, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra November 13, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Passengers say Turkish Airlines flights have bedbugs
Shortly after boarding her Turkish Airlines flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul in March, Ms Patience Titcombe from Phoenix noticed a small bug crawling on her seat when she got up to use the restroom.
Actor Ben Yeo shutters restaurant after incurring $1 million loss in two years
Local actor and F&B entrepreneur Ben Yeo is shutting down the high-end modern Chinese restaurant he founded, Tan Xiang Yuan, after two years.
Director Jeff Baena elevated dark themes with humour in his works
American director and screenwriter Jeff Baena, who co-wrote the dark comedy I Heart Huckabees (2004) and directed films including Life After Beth (2014) and Horse Girl (2020), died on Jan. 3 at a residence in Los Angeles. He was 47.
Squid Game star denies ties with South Korea ruling party's former leader
Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae has distanced himself from the party of South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol after a photo of him with the party's ex-leader resurfaced online, according to Korean media.
Japanese cast dominates as Shogun breaks new ground
Comeback stories and Asian representation at the awards show celebrating the best in film and TV
A toast to Switzerland
The country is adopting a sip-and-stay approach to spread the word on its best-kept secret – wines
Saving the mysterious African manatee in Cameroon
Ever since his first hard-won sightings of African manatees, award-winning marine biologist Aristide Takoukam Kamla has been devoted to protecting the little-known and at-risk aquatic mammals.
'CRAZY' CHUA TURNS PRO
S'pore triathlete aims to win SEA Games, qualify for Asian Games and Olympics
The fall in sport is cruel, inevitable and hard to digest
In sport, this is the guarantee. Falls will be hard. The boxer sent to the canvas. The rugby winger brought to earth. The gymnast slipping off the high bar. And the hero tumbling from his pedestal.
AMORIM WANTS SAME 'MENTALITY EVERY DAY'
United need to replicate the fortitude shown in draw at Liverpool to become a better side
