A recent report on climate change in South Asia warned that if greenhouse gas emissions grow at their present rate, the region could face a major human crisis. It estimated that 75 million people in Bangladesh will lose their homes. The report also predicted that about 45 million people in India will also become "climate migrants". Around 130 million people  live in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in low elevation coastal zones, less than 10m above sea level. More here.

• Beijing's water crisis and economic collapse
• China's Environmental Footprint in Africa
• ICT's smart answer to climate change
• SEA View
• China View

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It should come as no surprise to people that if you are paying $10 for a pair of jeans, then something in the supply chain is going to give. Clothes prices have never been as cheap in real terms. As retail companies continue to push prices down then garment factories, working on slim margins, are going to try and cut costs - and that might mean employing cheap child labour. No one with any experience of supply chains in Asia will be surprised that regular audits did not uncover breaches. Big brands need to move away from simplistic, unreliable inspections towards building trust with partners. That means engaging the supply chain in good corporate social responsibility practices rather than relying on spot checks. It means getting suppliers to recognise that adhering to sound employment practices is in their own interests and helping suppliers develop policies and practices that will make them a trusted supplier and build a long-term relationship. And simply to cut the contracts of factories that indirectly employ children has the potential to make a bad situation worse. Where are those children now, I wonder?

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce (CCCI) responded to the Filipino Department of Education's call for aid in the region by launching a plan for "collective, meaningful and sustainable" education through CSR. The CCCI emphasized the development of homegrown talent to further growth in local businesses. To this end, the CCCI hopes to tailor member companies' activities in the program towards each company's specialty. For example, businesses in the construction and furniture sectors could upgrade the schools' facilities, while publishing firms could offer support by providing textbooks. Hopefully, such philanthropy will lead to further, sustained involvement - such as employee volunteering in school - rather than simply providing some support in return for some rather substantial tax incentives. More here.

With local governments in Japan keen to prove their environmental credentials, the convenience store industry faces the threat of limited business hours. Over 10 prefectures - Tokyo, Nagano, and the city of Kyoto - may consider restrictions on operating hours for 24-hour convenience stores such as 7-Eleven. The convenience industry considers the plan a form of "green-washing" - perhaps rightly. Japan's 40,000 convenience stores release an estimated 2.67 million tons of CO₂ annually, or 0.2 per cent of Japan's total emissions. An industry official commented that even if the stores operated only 16 hours, refrigerators - the main source of emissions - would still run. Meanwhile, the industry would stand to lose about 20 per cent of profits while reducing only 0.009 per cent of the country's total emissions. Though the convenience store industry should reduce CO₂ output, local governments in Japan should look at more substantial ways to reduce emissions, rather than introducing cosmetic PR measures. More here.

Balancing a company's carbon emissions through carbon trading sounds like a simple exchange, but the reality of achieving a zero net impact on climate change is extremely complex. With more and more companies aiming for carbon neutrality, NGOs 'Clean Air - Cool Planet' and 'Forum for the Future' have compiled a report which sets down definitions, boundaries for responsibilities and suggests emission-reduction strategies. This is a good starting point for considering all of the issues to become carbon neutral. The report can be found here.

Due to the recent interest towards the environment in Asia, many companies "green-wash" - i.e. provide misleading environmental initiatives - their products in response to the trend. But increasing consumer awareness may force companies to rethink such a strategy, according to industry watchers. Bob Fleming, adjunct professor at the NUS Business School said that green-washing affects only 20 to 30 per cent of the products in Singapore, a reasonably good number compared to other countries. But as Benjamin Sovacool at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy pointed out, green-washing would still affect share price, brand reputation, and corporate governance. Does this article point towards more substantial environmental dialogue in the region? More here.