Crystal Chow

AUTHOR

Crystal Chow is a Hong Kong-based journalist and writer specializing in international affairs and development issues. She holds a master’s degree in Global Energy and Climate Policy with an elective in International Environmental Law from SOAS, University of London. She has previously worked for a legislator in Hong Kong as a research officer, where she advised on environmental and energy policy. Inspired by her on-field reportage and volunteer experience in the Philippines, the Malaysian Borneo and Kenya, Crystal’s interests involve clean technology transfer, political transition and sustainable development in the Asia Pacific, as well as marine environmental governance.

Coral Conundrum: the ignored victim of the South China Sea 2

The arbitral tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) recently ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines in its case against China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. After a month, however, the contested waters of Southeast Asia remain mired in military tensions, with little attention given to the “voiceless victims” for which the stakes are higher: the coral reef ecosystems – and the people whose living rely on them.

The unexpected champion: How Rio’s favelas strive to go green while Olympic legacy falls short 1

The municipal government of Rio de Janeiro has promised to urbanize its favelas by 2020, but projects supposed to upgrade the favelas’ infrastructure and create jobs have quickly lost momentum. Fortunately, an unexpected champion has emerged, as residents of favelas have come together and taken the initiative to “green” their communities with reforestation projects, rooftop solar panels and community food gardening, highlighting how sustainable urban design should be done.