Although climate-linked impacts on ASEAN’s economy, increasing vulnerability to severe weather, and interlinkages to transboundary haze, health, security and marine pollution are evident, a recent survey by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute reveals that Southeast Asians are ambivalent about ASEAN’s effectiveness in tackling climate change. All ASEAN Member States (AMS) are fully committed to accelerating reductions to global emissions under the Paris Agreement and demonstrate political will to set up intersectoral climate governance on renewable energy transition, agriculture and food security, forest and land use protection, disaster risk management, conservation on biodiversity, among many other measures. Under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) pillar, the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings on the Environment (AMME) and the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Environment (ASOEN) meet annually to discuss environment-related issues, including climate change. The ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change (AWGCC), one of seven technical working groups reporting to the ASOEN, is tasked to enhance regional cooperation on climate change, promote collaboration between sectoral bodies, and articulate ASEAN’s concerns and priorities at the international level. Climate change issues have become cross-cutting and involve various ASEAN sectoral bodies. The AWGCC’s role, however, is still limited to the environmental mandate. ASEAN needs to establish a super coordinating body on climate change that can ensure information sharing across ASEAN bodies, convene support from dialogue partners, and engage with civil society organizations. The ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) model established during the COVID-19 crisis can serve as a precedent.

How do we take stock of the state and direction of the world’s environment, and what can we learn from the experience? Among the myriad detailed narratives about the condition of the planet, the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) reports—issued by the United Nations Environment Programme—stand out as the most ambitious. For nearly three decades the GEO project has not only delivered iconic global assessment reports, but through its multitude of contributors has inspired hundreds of similar processes worldwide from the regional to the local level. This book provides an inside account of the evolution of the GEO project from its earliest days. Building on meticulous research, including interviews with former heads of the United Nations Environment Programme, diplomats, leading contributing scientists, and senior leaders of collaborating organizations, the story is told from the perspective of five GEO veterans who all played a pivotal role in shaping the periodic assessments. The GEO’s history provides striking insights and will save valuable time to those who commission, design and conduct, as well as critique and improve, assessments of environmental development in the next decade.

Southeast Asian Affairs, of which there are now twenty-eight in the series, is an annual review of significant developments and trends in the region. Though the emphasis is on ASEAN countries, developments in the broader Asia-Pacific region are not ignored. Readable and easily understood analyses are offered of major political, economic, social, and strategic developments within Southeast Asia.The contributions can be divided into two broad categories. There are those which provide an analysis of major developments during 2000 in individual Southeast Asian countries and in the region generally. Then there are the theme articles of a more specialized nature which deal with topical problems of concern.This volume contains twenty-three articles, dealing with such major themes as international conflict and co-operation, political stability, and economic growth and development.

News: The 2012 Elizabeth Haub Prize for Environmental Law is awarded to Emeritus Professor Koh Kheng-Lian in recognition of her important and pioneering contributions to the development and evolution of environmental law in Singapore and in the whole ASEAN region. Her contributions have been particularly significant in the areas of capacity building and scholarship in the field of ASEAN environmental law. ASEAN Environmental Law, Policy and Governance: Selected Documents, in two volumes, contains a judicious compilation of relevant ASEAN environmental instruments. These documents deal with ASEAN's progressive development of environmental law, policy and governance. Volume II covers sectoral areas including natural resources and biodiversity, forestry, agriculture and food, cultural heritage, coastal and marine environment, water resources management, zoonotic diseases and the environment, energy and climate change, environmental disaster management, environmental education, environmental governance and epilogue. ASEAN has grown in stature and has an important role to play in developing global environmental sustainability. Regional organizations such as the European Union and governments of countries like the United States, Australia, China and India are partners in ASEAN's endeavours to develop a green planet. This book will be of interest in an interconnected environmental world. This book is also available as a set with ASEAN Environmental Law, Policy and Governance (Volume I).