Gaps and Opportunities in ASEAN’s Climate Governance

Gaps and Opportunities in ASEAN’s Climate Governance
Author: Sharon Seah
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2021-04-06
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9814951609

Although climate-linked impacts on ASEAN’s economy, increasing vulnerability to severe weather, and interlinkages to transboundary haze, health, security and marine pollution are evident, a recent survey by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute reveals that Southeast Asians are ambivalent about ASEAN’s effectiveness in tackling climate change. All ASEAN Member States (AMS) are fully committed to accelerating reductions to global emissions under the Paris Agreement and demonstrate political will to set up intersectoral climate governance on renewable energy transition, agriculture and food security, forest and land use protection, disaster risk management, conservation on biodiversity, among many other measures. Under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) pillar, the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings on the Environment (AMME) and the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Environment (ASOEN) meet annually to discuss environment-related issues, including climate change. The ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change (AWGCC), one of seven technical working groups reporting to the ASOEN, is tasked to enhance regional cooperation on climate change, promote collaboration between sectoral bodies, and articulate ASEAN’s concerns and priorities at the international level. Climate change issues have become cross-cutting and involve various ASEAN sectoral bodies. The AWGCC’s role, however, is still limited to the environmental mandate. ASEAN needs to establish a super coordinating body on climate change that can ensure information sharing across ASEAN bodies, convene support from dialogue partners, and engage with civil society organizations. The ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) model established during the COVID-19 crisis can serve as a precedent.

ESG Investment

ESG Investment
Author: Naoko Nemoto
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020-02-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 4899742061

Investors are increasingly integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into their investment decisions. Currently, more than half of managed assets in Europe are linked to ESG factors, while in Japan, ESG investment has grown dramatically in recent years. In principle, ESG investment can help to bridge the gap between profit-driven investment and economic and social sustainability in Asia and the Pacific. However, a number of challenges, such as unclear and varied sustainable investment criteria, untested impacts on corporate value and social issues, and the lack of quality data cloud the potential for increasing ESG investment. This book aims to contribute to developing a framework for future analysis and monitoring to ensure the growth of ESG investment.

Urban Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions in Southeast Asia

Urban Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions in Southeast Asia
Author: Alex M. Lechner
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
Total Pages: 42
Release: 2021-12-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9815011219

Rapid urbanization and development in Southeast Asia have impacted its high biodiversity and unique ecosystems, directly through the use of forest lands for infrastructure building, and indirectly through increasing ecological footprints. In Greater Bandung, Indonesia and Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, rapid urbanization over the last thirty years has resulted in an increase inbuilt infrastructure of approximately two and three times respectively. A Nature-Based Solutions approach can potentially underpin urban design and planning strategies in Greater Bandung and Greater Kuala Lumpur, as well as other cities in Southeast Asia, to address biodiversity conservation and also global environmental challenges such as climate change adaption and mitigation while supporting well-being. Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions in Southeast Asia will require knowledge gaps to be addressed, greater awareness, increasing the evidence base, metrics for measuring success, support from institutions and stakeholders, and new and innovative financing. The urgency of global socio-ecological challenges, in particular the biodiversity and climate crisis, means transformational change is needed in Southeast Asia, for urban, ecological, technical, economic, and social systems, while still supporting sustainable development.

Managing the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy

Managing the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy
Author: Bindu N. Lohani
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2016-03-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 4899740581

Asia must be at the center of the global fight against climate change. It is the world’s most populous region, with high economic growth, a rising share of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the most vulnerability to climate risks. Its current resource- and emission-intensive growth pattern is not sustainable. This study recognizes low-carbon green growth as an imperative—not an option—for developing Asia. Asia has already started to move toward low-carbon green growth. Many emerging economies have started to use sustainable development to bring competitiveness to their industries and to serve growing green technology markets. The aim of this study is to share the experiences of emerging Asian economies and the lessons learned. The book assesses the low-carbon and green policies and practices taken by Asian countries, identifies gaps, and examines new opportunities for low-carbon green growth.

Meeting Asia's Infrastructure Needs

Meeting Asia's Infrastructure Needs
Author: Asian Development Bank
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2017-02-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9292577549

Infrastructure is essential for development. This report presents a snapshot of the current condition of developing Asia's infrastructure---defined here as transport, power, telecommunications, and water supply and sanitation. It examines how much the region has been investing in infrastructure and what will likely be needed through 2030. Finally, it analyzes the financial and institutional challenges that will shape future infrastructure investment and development.

A Region at Risk

A Region at Risk
Author: Asian Development Bank
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2017-07-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9292578529

Asia and the Pacific continues to be exposed to climate change impacts. Home to the majority of the world's poor, the population of the region is particularly vulnerable to those impacts. Unabated warming could largely diminish previous achievements of economic development and improvements, putting the future of the region at risk. Read the most recent projections pertaining to climate change and climate change impacts in Asia and the Pacific, and the consequences of these changes to human systems, particularly for developing countries. This report also highlights gaps in the existing knowledge and identifies avenues for continued research.

Explaining Transformative Change in ASEAN and EU Climate Policy

Explaining Transformative Change in ASEAN and EU Climate Policy
Author: Charanpal Bal
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2023-04-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1009395971

The Paris Agreement embodies a flexible approach to global cooperation, aimed at encouraging ever more ambitious climate action by a variety of players on all levels of governance. Regional organizations play an important role in mobilizing such action. This Element provides novel insights into the conditions under which policy entrepreneurs can bring about transformative policy change in regional settings, with a focus on the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It finds that opportunity structures in the EU have been conducive to successful climate-progressive policy entrepreneurship at several key junctures, but not consistently. In contrast, the ASEAN governance context provides few access points for non-elite interests, making it fiendishly difficult for policy entrepreneurs to push for substantive policy change in the face of powerful domestic veto players. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

The Future of Philippine Agriculture under a Changing Climate

The Future of Philippine Agriculture under a Changing Climate
Author: Mark W. Rosegrant
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
Total Pages: 624
Release: 2018-11-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9814818356

The Philippine economy has grown rapidly since 2010, but despite this growth, poverty and inequality remain high. Two-thirds of the poor live in rural areas, and the weak performance of the agriculture sector has contributed to the slow improvement in livelihoods. The challenge for agriculture will further increase, with climate change posing a growing threat to the sector. But agricultural transformation to spur sustained growth and reduce poverty is still possible under climate change with aggressive institutional reforms and implementation of the right mix of policies and programmes. The identification of the suitable policy and programme combination requires an accurate assessment of the key drivers of agricultural growth and food security; the impacts of climate change on agriculture and the overall economy; and the effectiveness of policies for adaptation and growth. This book addresses these big issues, focusing on enhancing the adaptation capacity of the Philippine agriculture sector. It is designed to provide a much-needed base of knowledge and menu of policy options to support decision- and policymaking on agriculture, climate change, and food security. The volume uses newly generated data, modelling outputs, and innovative analyses to provide a scientific basis for a variety of adaptation measures under different sets of climate change scenarios to guide decision-makers in strategic planning and policy formulation. “As we have actually experienced in Leyte, an island province in the Visayas where Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck, disasters caused by natural hazards could completely negate economic gains, devastate families and shatter dreams. Our greatest challenge is to make ourselves better prepared for and be more resilient to such disasters. Natural hazards need not always lead to loss of so many lives and properties. This book shows us ways and provides tools to draw up climate change and socioeconomic scenarios at the regional and provincial levels, allowing us to identify strategies for mitigating climate change risks.” — Ernesto M. Pernia, Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning, National Economic and Development Authority, Philippines “This book by top Philippine researchers combines state-of-the-art biophysical and economic modeling of climate impacts and adaptation policies with in-depth synthesis of agriculture, natural resources, climate trends, and policies. It provides a comprehensive assessment of climate change impacts on agriculture and the broader economy to provide important insights for Philippine policymakers.” — Dr Cynthia Rosenzweig, Head, Climate Impacts Group, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Co-Founder of the Agricultural Model Inter-comparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP)

Gender, the Environment and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific

Gender, the Environment and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific
Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Publisher: United Nations
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2017-09-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9213627335

This publication is the first Asia-Pacific report that comprehensively maps out the intersections between gender and environment at the levels of household, work, community and policy. It examines gender concerns in the spheres of food security, agriculture, energy, water, fisheries and forestry, and identifies strategic entry points for policy interventions. Based on a grounded study of the reality in the Asia-Pacific region, this report puts together good practices and policy lessons that could be capitalized by policymakers to advance the agenda of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.