The Importance of Preserving Physical ‘Third Places’ in Southeast Asia
Gauri Sasitharan
Gauri Sasitharan traces the evolution and decline of physical third places in Southeast Asia and the consequences for communities in the region.

Gauri Sasitharan
Gauri Sasitharan traces the evolution and decline of physical third places in Southeast Asia and the consequences for communities in the region.
Paul Teng
Food system decarbonisation is one of the main pathways chosen by ASEAN Member States to meet their obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement. Concurrent with this is the transformation of food systems from high-emission, carbon energy-intensive systems to low-carbon emission systems with improved resilience, farmer livelihoods and environmental health.
Joanne Lin|Jasmine Yeo
Joanne Lin and Jasmine Yeo show how insights from two major regional surveys in 2025 capture the forces shaping ASEAN’s confidence in a year of shifting global winds.
Muyi Yang|Xiwei Xu|David Lo
Booming growth in data centres is escalating electricity demand and risks undermining the region’s energy transition goals. Hardware improvements are insufficient; Southeast Asia must also promote energy-efficient AI software.
Gauri Sasitharan
Gauri Sasitharan argues that, in the absence of strong legal protections for mangrove and peatland conservation in ASEAN, grassroots communities are emerging as the region’s most important stewards of these ecosystems.
Sara Loo
Malaysia’s ambitions to be a digital powerhouse demand urgent consideration of rapidly increasing energy demands. Based on current figures, Malaysia appears to have overcommitted to data centre expansion, especially in Johor, without sufficiently robust sustainability guidelines in place.
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad
Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok Aun converses with Minister Nik Nazmi about the urgent challenges of sustainability and climate change from Malaysian and ASEAN perspectives. Recorded on 28 April 2025.
Muyi Yang|Christopher Wright
Amid growing geopolitical rivalry and rising protectionism, a network of net-zero industrial parks could act as the Asia-Pacific’s transition landing zones into a greener future.
Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg
Mindful of the pressing challenge of climate change, Sarawak is leveraging its resource richness and cultural diversity to foster a low-carbon, climate-resilient, and inclusive future.
Damon Chee
Damon Chee explores the growing demand for sustainable fashion and the hurdles preventing it from becoming a viable alternative to fast fashion in Southeast Asia.