I’VE just completed a work tour in the United States in March 2025, meeting with partners, speaking at several events, and trying to understand more clearly the implications of Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency.
It’s clear that this seismic event is triggering a period of significant upheaval. It’s also becoming clear that under his presidency there is a determined effort to shrink US federal institutions, withdraw from multilateral commitments, and dismantle environmental regulations.
While these shifts are being most immediately felt within the United States, their repercussions extend far beyond its borders, reshaping global priorities and partnerships –including for us here in Malaysia and across the wider Asean region.
One of the clearest indicators of this retreat is the US decision to withdraw from the United Nations Loss and Damage Fund, a vital mechanism set up to support vulnerable countries dealing with the worsening impacts of climate change. This move weakens global financial mechanisms for climate adaptation and mitigation while sending a stark message about America’s disengagement from climate leadership. For nations already battling rising temperatures, extreme weather, and biodiversity loss, securing crucial financing for renewable energy development and ecosystem conservation will become even more challenging.
Beyond environmental and energy concerns, shifts in US policy appear likely to also impact global public health initiatives. The dissolution of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) means reduced support for international health programmes, shifts in research funding, and changes in scientific collaboration, all of which may hinder preparedness and response to emerging health challenges.
For Asean nations, the evolving US position presents both challenges and opportunities. A diminished focus on climate action and global cooperation from the world’s largest economy threatens progress on planetary health, particularly in energy transition, environmental governance, and public health preparedness. At the same time, this shifting landscape underscores the urgency of shoring up our regional resilience, innovation, and cooperation to secure a sustainable future.
We must keep our nerve and live up to our commitments, recognising that the responsibility to sustain momentum in a context of weakened international support mechanisms is going to be tougher, but not impossible. The challenge is ensuring that national and regional strategies remain robust, and that we continue to implement them, even as global policy directions become increasingly unpredictable.
One of the most immediate effects of the US policy shift will be on energy. A renewed push for fossil fuel industries, coupled with regulatory rollbacks, is going to influence supply and demand dynamics, potentially driving down fossil fuel prices. This creates added complexities for the transition towards renewable energy.
As I noted last month, Malaysia is steadily increasing its adoption of renewables, backed by policies promoting energy efficiency and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. But sustaining these efforts will require no backsliding on our strong domestic policies and strategic international partnerships aligned with long-term sustainability goals – not easy in the face of the “drill, baby, drill” mantra.
For Asean nations, which are particularly vulnerable to climate-sensitive diseases and food security threats, this highlights the urgency of investing in regional research, surveillance systems, and adaptation strategies. Malaysia’s emerging leadership in planetary health provides a strong foundation for these efforts.
Malaysia and Asean have an opportunity to take proactive steps to sustain progress. Two of the five priority areas of the Asean Socio-Cultural Community pillar explicitly address health and climate action. But does placing such existential issues in one Asean pillar make sense? These are systemic issues cutting across all three Asean pillars (the other two are the Political-Security Community and the Economic Community) and need to be prioritised accordingly. Heat and climate are political, economic and socio-cultural. To pretend otherwise is unwise.
The following priorities will be crucial:
> Enhancing intra-Asean cooperation on sustainability and climate resilience – Strengthening regional frameworks for environmental governance, scientific research collaboration, and resource-sharing will help mitigate the impact of external shifts in global climate policy. A lot is going on here – it needs to be more visible and linked more closely to our citizens.
> Accelerating the transition to renewable energy – Ensuring that policy and investment decisions continue to support long-term sustainability despite short-term fluctuations in fossil fuel markets being driven by short-sighted greed on the other side of the planet is critical. Expanding incentives for clean energy deployment and fostering technological advancements in energy storage and distribution must not falter, especially against distracting and unproven technologies that seek to maintain fossil fuel status quo, particularly carbon capture.
> Diversifying international partnerships – Malaysia and Asean must deepen ties with countries and institutions committed to planetary health, such as the European Union and regional climate finance mechanisms, to reduce reliance on any single geopolitical player. And in this we need to recognise the importance of equal partnerships, where we pay our way.
> Strengthening national planetary health strategies – Integrating sustainability considerations across economic, health, and environmental policies will be key to building long-term resilience. Malaysia’s National Planetary Health Action Plan offers a model for embedding these principles into governance structures. Implementing it effectively will be key.
> Expanding public engagement and communication – Winning the information war is key. People need to feel that they can trust the information they are receiving. That means investing in media strategies, leveraging digital platforms, and engaging with audiences where they are –whether that’s TikTok, WhatsApp groups, or national television. The people spreading climate denial are not hesitating to use these tools. Why should we?
> Delivering on these priorities will need to be underwritten by a hard reality – We need to pay more from our own pockets. It seems that the days of large international development grants to Asean are gone.
Malaysia’s leadership in planetary health offers a compelling case for how nations can continue advancing sustainability agendas even amid global uncertainties. By embedding planetary health principles into governance, economic planning, and regional diplomacy, Malaysia can help shape a future that prioritises both people and the planet. Our leadership of Asean this year represents a significant opportunity, and we must lead with courage and determination.
Prof Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, a physician and experienced crisis leader, is the executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at Sunway University. She is the founder of Mercy Malaysia and has served in leadership roles internationally with the United Nations and Red Cross for the last decade. She writes on Planetary Health Matters once a month in Ecowatch. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.
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