About Climate Change Platform
The ASCC R&D Platform on Climate Change focuses on understanding and addressing the environmental challenges that affect the ASEAN region. By understanding the landscape of climate policies, and their impacts, this platform aims to inform and shape regional strategies to mitigate climate change effects, foster sustainable practices, and promote environmental resilience.
The ASCC Research and Development Platform on Climate Change has identified key findings on ASEAN’s climate action
Climate financing
Currently, public financing from government and international institutions are the key players in providing financial support for climate change initiatives in most ASEAN Member States. As climate financing is still in its infancy in ASEAN, private sector participation is risky and might become non-bankable without proper risk mitigation. Thus, tax revenues are critical source for funding, as it accounts to nearly 90 per cent of total government revenues in several AMS, necessitating the implementation of environmental tax reform. Challenges such as coordinating policies and enhancing private sector engagement persist, necessitating a coordinated approach and regional collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
Climate change data management
Effective climate change scenario planning in ASEAN hinges on improved availability and accessibility of climate data, facilitating informed policy decisions on mitigation and adaptation strategies. Availability and accessibility of data on climate change is also crucial for reporting and monitoring targets under climate change commitments, and for developing and implementing mitigation actions in achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets. Data scarcity and availability, combined with the absence of reliable local and socio-economic data, pose significant challenges for effective policy-transferable scenario planning. To overcome these obstacles, ASEAN requires a cohesive institutional and policy framework to govern and promote climate data utilisation across all levels of administration.
Nature-based solutions (NbS)
Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer cost-effective and sustainable approaches to address societal and economic challenges by integrating ecosystem-based measures for climate change mitigation and disaster risk reduction. However, defining NbS and overcoming implementation challenges, including limited understanding and policy support, remains a hurdle. Policy recommendations include developing a common framework for NbS, capacity-building initiatives to fill knowledge gaps, and promoting investment and innovative financing options. These actions aim to align NbS with biodiversity strategies, enhance knowledge sharing among ASEAN Member States, and incentivise sustainable practices through regulatory reforms and financial support.
