Dear EB reader,

As Southeast Asia emerges from the tail end of a heatwave, the human cost of extreme weather is becoming clearer for one of the world's most climate-vulnerable regions.

In the Philippines, heat stress has caused a spike in illnesses and deaths as gig workers and manual labourers toil in temperatures exceeding 40°C.

The ability of Southeast Asian governments to manage the effects of extreme heat is being put to the test amid calls for heat action plans for cities as dangerously high temperatures become more frequent.

Meanwhile, the region is struggling to shake its dependence on cheap, planet-warming coal. A conservative think tank has said the 2040 coal phaseout deadline outlined in the Asean green finance taxonomy is "unrealistic".

In another story, we consider the prospect, as highlighted by a climate watchdog this week, of Malaysia losing 3 million hectares of tree cover against the country's proud claim to be 50 per cent covered by forests. Deforestation risk affects land nearly the size of Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia's largest state. Failing to stem the loss will weigh on the nation's commitment towards net-zero emissions.