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The Asean Summit (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) wrapped up Monday (November 4th) in Bangkok. In the shadow of the free trade treaty (RCEP) discussions, sessions and a luncheon were dedicated to the fight against global warming. Announcements have been made but considered insufficient by environmental protection associations.
" Governments do not have the strength to tackle problems. No effective policy is put in place, "indignant Ratri Kusumohartono, member of the South Asian branch of Greenpeace, the day after the summit of Asean. Representing nearly 9% of the world's population, 2,800 billion of GDP, the group of 10 countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei) is an economic juggernaut in full expansion. " 5th world economic bloc ", behind the European Union, the United States, China and Japan, this exponential growth could be quickly stopped by the climatic phenomena.
" Four of the 10 countries most affected by climate change are Asean member states , " UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a news conference on the sidelines of the summit.
According to a study published in Nature Communications on October 30, the situation is critical. The region would be the most affected by the rising waters and the resurgence of increasingly violent natural disasters. 300 million people, two-thirds of whom are in China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, are threatened by rising water levels by 2050. Several Asian mega-cities like Jakarta, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Bombay, could be flooded.
Forest fires and coal
In response to this, the UN Secretary-General has called on ASEAN countries to play their part in influencing and making decisions for all countries in Southeast Asia to abandon their " dependence on coal " . The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century .
But, Greenpeace in mind, several associations have stressed the importance of doing more to fight against global warming. The "haze" pollution, the fog that results from fires burning in the open air and which mainly affects Indonesia and Malaysia, is their spearhead. From the opening of the summit, activists took action in Bangkok to alert heads of state. A banner, a message: "Politicians speak, leaders act. ".
Greenpeace activistsclimba billboardto unfurla banner saying'Politicianstalk, leaders stop hazeand plastic pollution 'on the first day of the 35th ASEAN Summitin Bangkok #AseanSummit @ ASEAN2019TH @ASEAN pic.twitter.com/ASTq58lTnp
Greenpeace Thailand (@greenpeaceth) November 2, 2019" This year, the decline in air quality in Southeast Asia, caused by forest fires in parts of Indonesia and the Mekong subregion, has raised questions about the effectiveness of an agreement from Asean to prevent haze pollution, " says Greenpeace in a message to leaders. " There was a plan in 2002 and another that will end in 2020. Yet 2019 has been one of the worst years in terms of forest fire pollution ," says Indonesian Ratri Kusumohartono. It calls for a firm policy, especially against fires, " the companies responsible for all voluntary fires must be condemned and prevented from starting again ."
Growth or climate, the choice
" There is a contradiction in political consciousness. The vision of economic growth today is incompatible with the current ecological struggle , " said Frédéric Durand, a researcher at the Research Institute for Southeast Asia. This year, the summit focused on international cooperation, particularly the free trade agreement. " The huge challenge now is to make sure that (the warming) is the least serious possible. Not to prevent it, " warns the researcher.
A statement shared by Patrick Marchesiello, director of research at the Institute for Research and Development (IRD) established in Vietnam for several years. " Huge sums are at stake. What can be done to stem environmental problems will be so damaging to economic activity that it will depend on the ability of governments to implement actions, " she said. he. Extraction of sand in rivers, infrastructures preventing groundwater from filling, construction of dams, greenhouse gas emissions, etc. "It's human activity in general that is a problem in those countries that are developing very quickly," says Marchesiello.
However, following the discussions that took place between the 10 countries of Asean, together with their Chinese, Japanese and Indian neighbors, several programs of " regional cooperation " were strengthened. The Heads of State insisted, through a communiqué, to insist on the necessary " cooperation and collaboration in the field of sustainable development in the region (...) and in the realization of the Agenda 2030 " . Planting natural mangrove barriers or climate monitoring system ... Several measures were announced at the end of this annual summit, but this was not enough to satisfy the environmental protection associations, waiting for a big change in ecological policy.