The Adaptation and Resilience in ASEAN report is part of an overarching project developed in collaboration with the COP26 Universities Network and the British High Commission to Singapore. The COP26 Universities Network is a growing group of over 80 UK-based universities working together to help deliver an ambitious outcome at COP26 and beyond. In this first ever collaboration of its kind, the network has brought together top researchers and academic figures from the UK and Singapore to publish four reports aimed at supporting policy development and the UK’s international COP26 objectives in Singapore and across ASEAN. The reports focus on the following areas:
1) energy transition
2) Nature-based Solutions
3) green finance
4) adaptation and resilience
These bite-size and highly condensed reports will provide a high-level understanding of the challenges and opportunities arising from climate science and policymaking in the ASEAN region, as we seek to transition to a greener economy. Readers are encouraged to review all four reports to gain a more comprehensive picture of climate change issues in the ASEAN region. Summaries of the other three reports are provided below:
1. The COP26 Policy Report on Energy Transition explores the links between economic recovery from Covid-19, energy consumption and climate integration in ASEAN’s low-carbon and sustainable energy transition plans. The authors also provide an economic analysis and [discuss employment and] social justice concerns of the energy transition.
2. The Green Finance Policy Report addresses the rationale for carbon credits to be traded across ASEAN. It tackles policy considerations, a carbon offsets’ financial markets response based on consultations with industry partners, and the accounting review applied to carbon finance. Ultimately, it examines and assesses voluntary carbon markets connecting the dots with Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and decarbonization.
3. The Nature Policy Report finds that nature-based climate solutions are widely available, scalable, and cost-effective mechanisms to sequester carbon and safeguard Southeast Asia’s large carbon stocks. In addition, NbS provide ample co-benefits such as reducing haze, protecting biodiversity and shorelines, ecosystem services, and can provide economic opportunities through carbon credits and small- scale economies.
Renaud, F.G., Chardot, L., Hamel, P., Cremin, E., Ng, D.K.S., Balke, T., Lallemant, D., Friend, R., Shi, X., Lee, J.S.H., Ng, L.Y., Andiappan, V., Le, H., Djalante, R., Tortajada, C., Ebeler, L., Horton, B.P. (2021). Adaptation and Resilience in ASEAN: Managing Disaster Risks from Natural Hazards (p30). UK Government, UK-Singapore COP26 ASEAN Climate Policy Report Series.