Crossing the Climate Threshold: Urgent Actions for Southeast Asia’s Sustainable Future
CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA PROGRAMME
About the Hybrid Seminar
Scientists are warning us that we may have reached a critical tipping point in our planetary system, one from which there may be no return. The devastating climate impacts we are currently witnessing—raging heat waves, unprecedented storms, and severe droughts—are just the beginning. If we tip over this point, these disasters will only escalate, becoming more frequent, prolonged, and intense. Southeast Asia, in particular, faces a grim climate future, with predictions of escalating environmental crises that could cripple economies and endanger millions of lives. Despite this looming catastrophe, ASEAN countries have only just begun to raise their climate ambitions—yet these efforts are woefully insufficient to keep global temperatures under the crucial 1.5-degree threshold. The window for meaningful action is closing rapidly, and without immediate and decisive action, the consequences could be irreversible.
Southeast Asia is at a critical juncture, struggling to balance the urgent need for economic development with the equally pressing demand for climate transition. The enormous challenge of implementing a low-carbon future has driven ASEAN countries to seek deeper cooperation within the region and beyond, but these transformations are fraught with complexities that will profoundly impact our daily lives. How do we reconcile economic growth with the necessary fossil fuel phase-down? Are we prepared for the socioeconomic upheavals that could arise from carbon taxes? What about the growing threats to food security as climate change exacerbates regional vulnerabilities? Moreover, as these challenges intensify, will Southeast Asia rise to the occasion and produce a regional or global climate leader who can steer the region—and the world—toward a more sustainable future? The stakes have never been higher, and the decisions made today will determine the trajectory of our region for generations to come.
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About the Survey Launch
In 2020, the Climate Change in Southeast Asia Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute initiated the Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey, a region-wide annual survey to understand the climate awareness and perceptions of Southeast Asian citizens. The survey is designed to analyse the attitudes and concerns of Southeast Asian citizens towards climate change, governmental policies and actions and the role of different stakeholders in climate action. This year’s survey is the fifth iteration and delves into public opinion on topics such as renewable energy transition, food security, and climate governance. This hybrid seminar will launch the Report and discuss key findings with a panel of four expert discussants versed in regional climate and environmental policy.
About the Speakers
H.E. Dr. Sophalleth Eang currently holds the position of Minister at the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia. He holds educational qualifications from both Cambodia and Canada. Prior to joining the Royal Government of Cambodia, H.E. Dr. Sophalleth Eang held various positions in the private sector. He was a research and development engineer at Bettis Canada Inc., managing director of Cambodian Construction Company Ltd., co-founder of Paragon Corporation, and co-founder of Paragon Education Company Ltd. Upon his shift into the public sector, H.E. Dr. Sophalleth Eang served for 26 years as a personal assistant and spokesperson to the former Prime Minister of Cambodia, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen. Simultaneously, he served as Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. He was responsible for international cooperation and the cabinet of the Minister, respectively. From 2016, H.E. Dr. Sophalleth Eang served as Secretary of State for the Ministry of Environment, where he has since stayed. Prior to holding the position of Minister, H.E. Dr. Sophalleth Eang’s work in the Ministry of Environment focused on environmental education, international cooperation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Council for Sustainable Development. H.E. Dr. Sophalleth Eang has been involved in the formulation of policies and strategies for the environmental sector and has been invited to speak at many international forums regarding environmental issues and global response measures.
Mr. Choi Shing Kwok is the Director & CEO of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, which does research on the political, economic and socio-cultural developments in Southeast Asia. He is also the Chairman of SP Services Limited, an energy services company, Deputy Chairman of the ComfortDelGro Group, a global transportation company, and a board member of the St Andrew’s Mission Hospital, a medical charity. In addition, he also serves on the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (SAFEF) Limited as voting member. Before his retirement from the civil service in October 2017, Shing Kwok was the Permanent Secretary of the then Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) for 5 years. He also served 7 years as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and 9 years as a senior official in the Ministry of Defence earlier in his career. During his military service, Shing Kwok held a variety of command and staff appointments in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Promoted to Brigadier-General in 1996, he took early retirement from the SAF in 2000 to join the Administrative Service. Shing Kwok obtained his Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Engineering Tripos from Cambridge University in 1981 and 1985 respectively. He also received a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University in 1994 as an Edward Mason Fellow. During his public sector career, Shing Kwok was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 1993 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2000.
Professor Benjamin Horton is Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University. He has been appointed the AXA-Nanyang Professor in Natural Hazards. Professor Horton is the lead investigator of the Climate Transformation Program.
Professor Horton is a climate scientist. He has won several awards in his career, including the Plinius Medal, Voyager Award, and the W. Storrs Cole Award. He was elected Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union. He was a Review Editor for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report.
A climate economist by practice, Dr. Masyita Crystallin is driven to transform economic systems to tackle structural challenges. She holds a PhD in Economics and brings over a decade’s experience in government, finance and industry focusing on macroeconomics, international monetary and finance, sustainable finance, and climate policy. Masyita brings a diverse range of experience from public to private sector roles including serving as Senior Advisor to the Indonesia’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment, and holding senior positions in the World Bank and DBS, Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund (INA), the World Resources Institute, Indonesia’s Employer Association (APINDO), and Indonesia’s state-owned holding company for insurance, underwriting and capital markets (IFG). She is currently serving as Co-chair Deputy of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action (CFMCA), which brings together Finance Ministries from over 90 countries to lead the mainstreaming of climate action into fiscal policy and to secure a just and orderly transition.
Ms. Sharon Seah is Senior Fellow and concurrent Coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre and the Climate Change in Southeast Asia Programme at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. Prior to academia, Ms Seah spent 15 years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore and the National Environment Agency. Her research interests are in ASEAN, multilateralism, rule of law, and climate change. Ms Seah graduated with a Master’s in Public and International Law from the University of Melbourne in 2018. She is co-editor of 50 Years of ASEAN and Singapore (World Scientific: 2017) and editor of Building a New Legal Order for the Oceans (NUS Press: 2019) by Tommy Koh. She is also the lead author of The State of Southeast Asia Survey Report and the Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey Report.
Ms. Melinda Martinus is Lead Researcher in the Climate Change in Southeast Asia Programme and the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS. Her research interests revolve around sustainable development, smart city initiatives, digitalisation, institutional framework and policy for advancing climate ambition in ASEAN countries. Melinda is Production Editor of ISEAS’ magazine, ASEANFocus (now published via Fulcrum). She co-edits the Institute’s two annual survey reports, The State of Southeast Asia survey and the Southeast Asia Climate Outlook. Before joining ISEAS, Melinda was a programme manager at Kota Kita Foundation, Indonesia and a researcher at the Center for Metropolitan Studies (Centropolis) at Tarumanagara University Jakarta.
Registration
This is a hybrid event which will be held at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (ISEAS).
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Attending the Event Virtually via Webinar
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