Many in S-E Asia support climate action, but worry about costs

Regional support for immediate phase-out of coal has declined steadily between 2022 and 2024

- Shabana Begum Correspondent

The Surabaya coal-fired power plant in Indonesia. Coal is the dirtiest form of fossil fuel, but accounted for 80 per cent of ASEAN's power sector emissions in 2023. The sentiment to delay the phase-out of coal spanned all ASEAN countries, even those with low dependence on coal like Singapore and Myanmar. Around 1 per cent of Singapore's energy comes from coal, while Myanmar relies on it for around 5 per cent of its electricity. ST PHOTO: LINDA YULISMAN

(ST PHOTO: LINDA YULISMAN)

People in Southeast Asia appear generally supportive of climate action, but think that measures that could result in higher costs of living should be pushed back, a new report released on Nov 28 found.

For one thing, regional support for the immediate phaseout of coal declined steadily between 2022 and 2024. Instead, support for delaying the transition to 2030 and 2040 rose.

Coal is the dirtiest form of fossil fuel, but accounted for 80 per cent of ASEAN’s power sector emissions in 2023. In 2022, energy prices worldwide soared on the back of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which raised the cost of living in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.

The report by Singapore researchers also found that those from lower income groups in the region were more hesitant about carbon taxes and the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies in their countries, as they worry about higher energy prices.

These were among the key findings after five years of surveying more than 7,600 respondents across 10 ASEAN nations that aimed to gauge regional attitudes towards climate change.

These climate mitigation strategies have been globally touted as solutions to reducing the release of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.