TRENDING NEWSAlso check out Tech in Asia's coverage of Asia's greentech scene here. 1️⃣ A casualty of Trump's tariffs: India's nascent solar industry The US has imposed a 50% tariff on all imports from India, undermining the South Asian country's growing solar power sector. Why it matters: India hoped to position itself as an alternative to Chinese-made solar panels, which had also seen US government scrutiny. New production plants were built across the country to support the US demand for solar panels. It remains to be seen whether India's local market can take on this surplus of supply, as the government has mainly extended subsidies for manufacturing and not for installing the panels. 2️⃣ Too hot for school: global push to keep classrooms cool as heatwaves force closures The Inter-American Development Bank said it is planning a loan program that could be tapped to help developing countries build "heat-ready" schools. Why it matters: A 2024 UNESCO report estimated that children were missing up to 1.5 years of school days due to extreme heat. The loan could be used to fund insulated roofs and solar-powered air conditioners in classrooms. 3️⃣ Money is raining down on green-tech firms that have an AI story  Almost a quarter of VC funding for the US climate tech sector went to nuclear energy startups in the first half of 2025, Bloomberg reported. Why it matters: Share prices of clean energy firms or those that position their facilities to be powering data centers for AI have outperformed the S&P 500, according to Bloomberg. Some experts consider this new narrative as a lifeline for greentech firms that were initially feared to be taking a backseat as the Trump administration clamped down on climate mitigation efforts. 4️⃣ From tissue to trees: How critically endangered plant species are lab-grown in Singapore Scientists at Temasek LifeSciences Laboratory in Singapore have developed new techniques to propagate tissue from nine species of endangered native trees. Why it matters: This can help mitigate the accelerating loss of nearly-extinct trees in the city-state. Some of these trees number less than 50 in the wild. 5️⃣ Global plastic talks fail as 'hardline positions' block deal United Nations delegates still cannot meet halfway in crafting a treaty that could address the impact of plastic pollution globally. Talks have been ongoing for the last three years. Why it matters: Bloomberg reports that the discussions have been divided between two options: a proposal to cap the amount of plastic produced worldwide, and an agreement focused on plastic waste collection and recycling. Most of the countries have reportedly favored the former. This could push the possibility of a plastics treaty into further uncertainty, as there have been six meetings so far without significant progress. | 
