Climate policy of the countries of Southeast Asia

Abstract

The article analyzes the process of formation and evolution of the climate policy of the countries of Southeast Asia, which play an important role in the global combating climate change. For them, this problem is recognized in the context of the social and economic costs associated with climate warming due to their vulnerability to it and is solved by adapting to a changing environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Measures to adapt to climate change in the region are still limited, they are activated only after natural disasters and are reduced mainly to rescue operations. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is dictated by several considerations: international obligations, climate change risk assessment, social demand, and awareness of the benefits of low-carbon development. The latter factor plays a dominant role in determining the direction of the implementation of climate policies towards the decarbonization of the economy by increasing its energy efficiency and energy transition based on the gradual replacement of carbon fuels with renewable energy sources. The article assesses the difficulties in the implementation of the planned tasks and determines the prospects for its solution in the context of the new voluntary commitments adopted by the countries of the region to achieve carbon neutrality by the middle of the century. Setting this goal opens a new stage in the evolution of climate policy in the direction of finding a balance between economic and environmental interests of development based on the use of scientific and technological progress. However, given the technological and financial constraints of the Southeast Asian countries, the prospects for their transition to low-carbon development will largely depend on the expansion of international cooperation.