ARTICLES

Creative action members, holding banners, gather to stage demonstration for demand that Hyundai stop its plan to use aluminum produced by new coal power plant production in front of a station of electric vehicles (EV) at Senayan Park in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 23, 2023. (Photo by Eko Siswono Toyudho / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP

31 Oct 2023

Indonesia’s EV Transformation: A Work in Progress

Manggi Habir

The Indonesian government is seeking to ramp up the adoption of electric vehicles on the country’s road. But several challenges remain.

31 Oct 2023

Diversifying from Rice to Alternative Crops in Southeast Asia

Elyssa Kaur Ludher

It will be a tall order to effectively switch from rice to substitute grains but Southeast Asia owes it to its future generations to build up food security and crop resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Agriculture Climate Change Food Security

13 Oct 2023

Climate Action in Southeast Asia: Lagging Leadership, Passive People

Melinda Martinus

Climate action initiatives have been rolled out in Southeast Asia, while a climate awareness survey has found that most Southeast Asians perceive governments as not doing enough. Few respondents are involved in active advocacy. The region has a long way to go.

Climate Change Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey

Indonesian police officers try to extinguish wildfire in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatera, Indonesia on September 12, 2023. Southeast Asia could see the return of transboundary haze later this year, as Indonesia battles an increased number of wildfires amid a prolonged dry season. Haze in Southeast Asia due to forest fires in Indonesia has been a perennial issue over the past decades. (Photo by Muhammad A.F / ANADOLU AGENCY / Anadolu Agency via AFP)

11 Oct 2023

Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Haze and Climate Change in Southeast Asia

Sharon Seah|Helena Varkkey

Transboundary haze has reared its ugly head again, no thanks to peatland burning and the compounding effects of the El Nino phenomenon and climate change. It is high time to break the vicious cycle of haze and climate change.

Climate Change Haze Indonesia Pollution

10 Oct 2023

Southeast Asia’s Need to Bridge the Climate Financing Gap

Vinod Thomas

As COP 28 approaches, Southeast Asia policymakers see the need for climate adaptation as well as mitigation. But there is an urgent need to encourage multiple sources of finance in this arena.

ASEAN Climate Change

Environmental activists and supporters take part in a demonstration in front of the United Nations building, where experts from across the planet locked in key talks aimed at breathing life into the Paris Agreement on climate change, in Bangkok.

3 Oct 2023

Perceptions of Energy Transition in Southeast Asia: Between Hope and Fear

Mirza Sadaqat Huda|Sharon Seah

The latest Southeast Asian Climate Outlook shows that people in the region generally have positive perceptions about the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy. But they are wary of the potential impacts of such a transition on bread and butter issues.

Climate Change Southeast Asia Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey

2 Oct 2023

Growing Food Insecurity Among Southeast Asians – And Concern That Climate Change Will Make It Worse

Elyssa Kaur Ludher

Even before the recent rice price rises, Southeast Asians have been experiencing food insecurity and had growing concerns about climate impacts on food security. The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s recent Climate Outlook Survey 2023 provides a snapshot of the scale of this concern.

Climate Change Food Security Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey

Environmental activists hold a sign that says "stop trying to make coal happen, its never going to happen" during an Earth Day rally on April 22, 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand. Environmental activists, led by students from the Grin Green International group, march on Earth Day from Lumpini Park in Central Bangkok to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Development to request that Thailand prioritize its switch to renewable energy.

18 Sep 2023

Climate Resilience in Southeast Asia: Adapt and Mitigate Before It’s Too Late

Vinod Thomas

Southeast Asia must prioritise climate resilience, encompassing adaptation and mitigation. The process must be strategically managed, informed by data and applied across a broad range of solutions.

Climate Change Southeast Asia

8 Aug 2023

The Untapped Potential of Carbon Credit Trading in ASEAN

Renard Siew

ASEAN holds out immense potential for generating carbon credits, given the region’s incredibly rich biodiversity and abundance of renewable energy sources. Member countries should collectively forge commitment and a timeline for implementing regionwide carbon trading.

ASEAN Climate Change

7 Aug 2023

Leveraging Dirt: Soil as Southeast Asia’s Under-explored Solution for Carbon Mitigation and Food Security

Elyssa Kaur Ludher

The world’s soils are under threat due to deforestation, urbanisation, agriculture, and pollution. Southeast Asia should prioritise sustainable soil management to reap the benefits of carbon mitigation and enhance food security.

ASEAN Climate Change