The ASEAN climate and energy paradox

Abstract

This article carries out a multisectoral qualitative analysis (MSQA) and policy integration analysis of six sectors important for climate mitigation in Southeast Asia in order to assess the status of the climate-energy nexus in the region. It concludes that Southeast Asia will be heavily affected by climate change but the mitigation efforts of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are incommensurate with the threat they face. Their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement are modest, they have a low proportion of renewable energy in their energy mixes, a modest target for raising the share of renewable energy and they are not likely to reach this target. The ASEAN countries have also been slow to adopt electric vehicles and to accede to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), while continuing to burn their forests, channel subsidies to fossil fuels and invest in new coal power plants. If ASEAN accelerated decarbonization, it could seize business opportunities, secure its standing in the international political system and climate justice discussions, and increase its chances of reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Climate Change and Sustainability in ASEAN Countries

“…Once again, wealthier countries tend to have better environmental performance as evidenced by the positive and significant coefficient of GDP. However, the effect is less pronounced than in Equation (2), where now a 1% increase in GDP per capita results in the environmental performance falling by 0.0261, holding other factors constant. Overall, a country tends to perform worse in terms of its environmental score if it belongs to the region of ASEAN, Greater Middle East, or Sub-Saharan Africa.…”

“…In fact, Germanwatch has ranked three ASEAN countries among those that have suffered the greatest economic damage and number of fatalities from climate change [1]. Despite that, research has shown that the mitigation efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been insufficient to combat climate change [2]. This is worrying as estimates by the International Monetary Fund predict that climate change could decrease Southeast Asia's overall GDP by over 11% [3].…”

Audit Energi Listrik Penggunaan Pendingin Udara Pada Gedung Biro Rektor Universitas Iskandarmuda

“…30 Tahun 2007 tentang Energi, PP No. 70 Tahun 2009 tentang Konservasi Energi, Instruksi Presiden dan beberapa peraturan menteri sebagai petunjuk operasionalnya [1] [2].…”

Local and global aspects of coal in the ASEAN countries

“…Against this backdrop, the ASEAN member states have been enthusiastically embracing coal in recent years. As much of the world is pivoting away from fossil fuels, many Southeast Asian countries have been rapidly expanding their use of coal to meet the region's rising energy consumption, chiefly the projected rise in demand for electricity (Clark et al, 2020;Overland et al, 2021). In 2019, coal demand was projected to grow 5 per cent annually in Southeast Asia through 2023, the highest growth rate in the world.…”