Most people in Asean say no to coal, yes to renewables as climate risks grow, says survey

79 per cent of respondents said they felt the urgency of cutting reliance on coal. - Reuters

SINGAPORE, Sept 16 (The Straits Times/ANN): The majority of people in Asean want to shift away from polluting fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy to tackle climate change as floods, loss of biodiversity and sea level rise loom as the top three climate threats in the region, a survey of public attitudes released on Thursday (Sept 16) shows.

Most governments in the region are not doing enough on climate change and need to enact climate-friendly policies and increase green spending, respondents said in the 2021 South-east Asia Climate Outlook published by the Climate Change in Southeast Asia Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute.