Stronger ASEAN action needed as region braces for more extreme weather

Press Release
September 22, 2014

MANILA – Southeast Asia’s worst weather calamities in the last decade cost the region tens of thousands of lives and more than USD 4 billion annually, an NGO group revealed today.

According to the coalition ASEAN For a Fair, Ambitious and Binding Global Climate Deal (A-FAB), composed of Oxfam, Greenpeace Southeast Asia and EROPA, the expected worsening of such trends due to climate change demands an ASEAN response that is much stronger than what the regional bloc is currently offering.

The call came during the launch of the policy brief "Weathering Extremes: The need for a stronger ASEAN response.” The brief details the effects of climate-related disasters and what actions the ASEAN need to take to curb these impacts.

The launch took place a day before the United Nations Climate Summit in New York where more than 120 heads of states are expected to give bold commitments on climate change response. A-FAB wants ASEAN leaders to speak as one voice for the region to demand a fair, ambitious and binding global climate deal, and for financing for adaptation as well as loss and damage.

Dr. Tun Lwin, CEO of Myanmar Climate Change Watch and author of the paper, said climate change is no longer an issue of individual countries, but an issue of the entire region.

"Extreme weather events are increasing in the region, and we all suffer from its impacts. I think this should be a call for us to work together, especially in terms of adaptation and mitigation," he said.

The paper goes further to illustrate the impacts of extreme weather to agriculture, the region's main source of livelihood.

"In Myanmar for example, disrupted monsoon patterns have affected agricultural production. Monsoon seasons have become shorter, thus reducing crop yields," Dr. Tun added.

What is happening in Myanmar and throughout Southeast Asia underscores the importance of ASEAN action on climate change, according to Riza Bernabe, Policy and Research Coordinator of Oxfam's East Asia GROW campaign.

"With agriculture threatened by climate change, livelihoods of millions of poor families are at risk. There will be significant effects on food security. We should not wait until it is too late to act," she said.

Zelda Soriano, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Political Advisor, said the ASEAN should consider policy support for renewable energy to mitigate the region's contribution to global warming.

"Governments should phase out subsidies on fossil fuels, and instead work towards transitioning to low-carbon renewable energy. We cannot continue with a business-as-usual scenario if we want to ensure our safety and that of future generations," she said.