Asean voices climate fears

Flooding is the most serious climate change impact for some South-East Asian nations, according to a climate survey on South-East Asians’ attitudes and perceptions.

The survey conducted by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute gathered responses from Brunei, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos and Indonesia.

Respondents also suggested that businesses in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam should adopt green practices.

Eighty per cent of respondents from Vietnam and 77.9% from the Philippines agreed that climate change is “a serious and immediate threat” to their countries, while 58% from Brunei said the issue must be monitored.

The survey also revealed that South-East Asians are only marginally optimistic about the potential economic benefits of adopting climate change measures and policies.

In addition, almost half of respondents feel that the stimulus measures and Covid-19 spending by respective governments did not contribute to a green recovery.

ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute conducted the second iteration of its South-East Asia Climate Outlook Survey from June 11 to Aug 2.

Designed to gather insights on the perspectives of South-East Asian citizens towards a variety of climate change issues, the online survey covered topics such as climate change impacts, urban mitigation and adaptation, low-carbon transitions and climate action partnership.It drew a total of 610 responses from citizens of all Asean member states, and it provided a general view of South-East Asian citizens towards climate change issues.

About a third of respondents identified the European Union (EU) as having demonstrated global climate leadership, but a substantial portion felt that no country had fulfilled the role of climate leader.

However, when asked which country could potentially play a more proactive role in climate issues, respondents’ top three choices were the EU, Japan and the United States.

At the regional level, Asean’s effectiveness in tackling climate action is in question as the majority of respondents question the regional organisation’s role in climate change.

Coordinator of the Climate Change Programme at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Sharon Seah said the survey confirmed that climate change remained top priority for despite the pandemic. — Borneo Bulletin/ANN