Institutional development · Sustainability and civic impact · Singapore
NUS Asia Research Institute marks 25 years with Yale lecture on Asia's climate future
A Yale scholar told an anniversary audience at the National University of Singapore's Asia Research Institute that Asia could become the main source of fresh thinking on sustainability.
Why it matters: The NUS Asia Research Institute used its 25th anniversary programme to put Asia's climate future before about 130 policymakers, academics, alumni and members of the public.
NUS said Professor Sunil Amrith, who directs Yale University's Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, delivered a Distinguished Lecture as part of anniversary events for the NUS Asia Research Institute (ARI).
According to NUS, the talk was held on 14 October 2026 at the Asian Civilisations Museum and drew around 130 people, including policymakers, scholars, alumni and the public.
Amrith argued that heavy climate impacts across Asia, combined with the region's growing economic and technological weight, mean it is probably set to generate much of the world's new thinking on sustainability.
The NUS report said many Asian governments still prioritise practical protection against immediate climate harms, giving the example of Bangladeshi storm shelters being redesigned with women's needs and evacuees' livestock in mind.
Editor’s view
Abigail Taylor, Leadership and Governance Editor
The lecture, attended by about 130 people on 14 October 2026, was one of the events marking a quarter-century of the Asia Research Institute at NUS.
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