Climate change will bring soaring temperatures, more intense storms, erratic rainfall, plummeting crop yields and a collapse of coral reefs to the Asia-Pacific unless countries fully implement their commitments under the Paris climate pact, scientists say, calling the challenges “unprecedented.”

Coal would be one of the quickest ways to ramp up power generation, but the option is unpopular in Burma.

Generators are expensive. Pact says one hour of diesel power in rural Burma costs roughly the same as 24 hours of power in Rangoon.

Perspectives on Burma’s waterways have been polarised into two competing positions: focusing on developing its vast hydropower potential and advocating for local communities’ needs and concerns.

A coalition of 422 civil society and environmental groups are calling on the government to halt all proposed coal and large-scale hydropower projects, citing a raft of negative impacts on vulnerable local communities.

With a climate-change denier soon to move into the White House, China is now in a position to become the global leader on the issue.