Clock ticks as plastic talks drag on This week in Geneva, negotiators from around the world are gathered for the fifth session of the Global Plastics Treaty -- known as INC 5.2. It is an intergovernmental process aimed at finding solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. Yet, more than a week in, progress toward a strong and binding agreement remains painfully slow. As the clock ticks, our window to act is rapidly closing.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/308572

Blended finance for climate action It takes policy support, commitment and also money to tackle climate change. For the latter, Thailand needs around 5-7 trillion baht in climate finance to achieve its carbon neutrality and net-zero emissions by 2050 and 2065, respectively. However, that's a target the country is still a long way away from.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/308578

Alaska talks will test the desire for peace in Ukraine Is there now a chance to end Russia's war in Ukraine? Are both sides in this bloody stalemate finally willing to give peace a chance, despite real reservations by both Moscow and Kyiv to keep the fighting going just a little longer? More importantly, are Ukraine's backers, notably the US and European countries such as the UK, Germany and Poland, able to exert enough pressure on Vladimir Putin...
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/308578

Why is North Korea courting Russian tourists? Hoping to replenish state coffers with much-needed foreign exchange reserves and offset the sharp post-Covid decline in Chinese tour groups, the Hermit Kingdom has set its sights on inquisitive holiday-makers from an ideologically aligned Russia.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/308579

Art freedom under fire The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) is in hot water after it succumbed to pressure from the Chinese embassy by censoring an art exhibition on its premises.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/op....inion/opinion/308580