Climate Change

What does science say about climate change? The global community generally agrees on this definition of climate change by the United Nations: “a change of climate attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.”

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen talks about the need for urgent action, as the world and the region face multiple environmental threats.

Climate change is inevitable; humanity and its ecosystems have already been impacted by warming of 1°C since pre-industrial times and humanity is on the path towards global warming of 1.5°C, with the expected emergence of unprecedented climatic conditions over the next decade.

ASEAN Member States have proactively taken measures to address the issue of climate change at the national and regionals levels.

ASEAN’s vision of developing a resilient, competitive, and future-ready workforce moves a step closer to reality with the crafting of a new roadmap that will guide Member States to the finish line.

Peatlands are the most extensive freshwater wetland ecosystem in the ASEAN region. They cover an estimated 23 million hectares of land (ASEAN Peatland Forests Project, 2014) and are found in all ASEAN Member States except Singapore.

The word “carbon market” may sound curious and new. Many countries see it as a promising mechanism to minimise greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

ASEAN is taking steps to ensure food security in the context of climate change, which is threatening food systems in four dimensions: food accessibility, food availability, food stability, and food utilisation.

“How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,” were the pointed words of young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg to world leaders at the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.

Minister A. Halim Iskandar shares his views on how implementing the UN Smart Village Approach in Indonesia will propel rural development, and help the country meet its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In a special virtual online meeting held on 19 August 2020, the ministers overseeing ASEAN’s cooperation on rural development and poverty eradication gathered to discuss initiatives that are being undertaken at the national level to protect the poor from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In yet another first, the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings were convened virtually from 9-12 September 2020. In view of the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, major power rivalry and looming economic recession, the 53rd AMM provided an important opportunity for the ministers to discuss ways and means to advance ASEAN’s Community building efforts, and to chart the direction for ASEAN to rise above the adverse impact of the pandemic.  Equally important, the meetings allow

ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), established in 1973 and currently one of ASEAN’s oldest entities, plays a key role in the ASEAN Community building process.  AIPA’s objectives are to build closer cooperation among the 10 national legislatures and their members of parliament, and capitalise on the greater participation of ASEAN peoples, via inter-parliamentary cooperation, to contribute to the attainment of the regional goals and aspirations.

The 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was set to take place in November 2020, has been postponed to November 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, COP26 Regional Ambassador to Asia-Pacific and South Asia, Ken O’Flaherty, and the United Kingdom Ambassador to ASEAN, Jon Lambe, discuss the priorities and plans of the UK, as COP26 President, in the year leading up to the conference. They also talk about possib

Dr. Aladdin Rillo, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community, talks to The ASEAN about the economic impact of COVID-19 and development of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework to guide the regional bloc’s  post-pandemic recovery efforts.  

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, first woman Prime Minister of Norway, pioneered the concept of sustainable development and shaped its early agenda. She is a founding member of The Elders, the group of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 who work for peace, justice and human rights. Dr. Brundtland served as Director General of the World Health Organization, UN Special Envoy for Climate Change, and led the World Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brund

In 2013, conservationist Lin Ji Liaw founded the Biodiversity and Natural History Society (BruWILD), a non-governmental organisation working towards the conservation and preservation of Brunei Darussalam’s biodiversity. Thirty-one-year-old Liaw is the country manager of DHI Brunei, an environmental consultancy company that works on environmental impact assessment, environment management and monitoring, and strategic environmental assessment projects in the region. Liaw, currently pursuing her ma

Khairun leads the UK’s International Climate Fund (ICF) in Malaysia via the UK Partnerships for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK-PACT) programme. As a young climate change activist, Khairun lobbied the UNFCCC negotiations, and later founded an equal opportunity zero-waste social enterprise. She has over 12 years of experience in corporate responsibility, sustainability reporting and standards, as well as capacity building for the mitigation and adaptation of climate change for the private, pu

Rili Djohani has worked for over 30 years to protect marine ecosystems and coastal areas in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Her journey in marine conservation began in 1989 when she established the World Wildlife Fund marine conservation programme in Indonesia. In 1995, she joined The Nature Conservancy and held several positions, including Indonesia country director and marine program director. Djohani, who studied tropical coastal zone management at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and