Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific
Author: Frank Jotzo, ANU
The economic rise of Asia brings with it an unprecedented growth in energy use.
How that growth in energy demand will be met depends on technology development and policy for climate change and energy security. These choices will profoundly affect the prospects of energy exporters such as Australia. Read more…
Author: Anthony J. McMichael, ANU
Over the next half a century and beyond, two major, contrasting shifts in population health will affect the social and economic burdens of disease and the causes of premature death in the Asian region.
Pervasive and disruptive population-health developments could also affect the movement of people, social stability and geopolitical security. These projected shifts will have major implications for Australia. Read more…
Author: Ishrat Husain, IBA, Karachi
Pakistan’s economy remained sluggish in 2011 due to domestic political instability, energy shortages, deteriorating Pakistan-US relations, global climate change and internal security concerns.
For the fourth year in a row, GDP growth in 2011-12 will fall below its long-term growth rate. Read more…
Author: Yongsheng Zhang, DRC
The global financial crisis and the climate crisis are twin concerns: we cannot solve one without solving the other.
Green growth must be recognised as part of the solution to the current global financial crisis. To overcome these dual problems, both developed and developing countries should progress to a greener model of development, and move beyond traditional ways of thinking about these issues. Read more…
Author: Fitrian Ardiansyah, ANU
Agreements achieved in the early morning of 11 December in Durban, South Africa appeared to salvage the UN climate talks — but have also raised questions about the commitment and capability of countries around the world to urgently tackling climate change.
After two weeks of difficult negotiations, governments involved in the 17th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-17) agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol and negotiate a binding agreement for all countries to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Read more…
Author: Amritha Thiyagarajan, UNSW
Australia has been involved for a number of years in helping developing countries adapt to the devastating effects of climate change.
But while Australia’s recently passed carbon tax has stimulated much debate, there is little to no scrutiny of how Australian money is being allocated throughout adaptation projects at a grassroots level. Read more…
Author: Fitrian Ardiansyah, ANU
The global climate change negotiations — underway from 28 November to 9 December in Durban, South Africa — have people asking once again whether countries around the world will agree on solutions to tackle climate change.
It is also an appropriate event to assess the involvement of developing countries like Indonesia, and particularly to understand whether their involvement in this UN climate conference will significantly contribute to a successful outcome. Read more…
Authors: Stephen Howes and Frank Jotzo, ANU
Global climate policy reached a turning point at the 2009 Copenhagen conference.
Expectations of a binding global climate treaty were dashed; instead, all major countries made unilateral pledges to cut or restrain their greenhouse gas emissions. In reality, that was probably a more significant outcome than a binding, but weak, agreement — what counts is what countries do, not what they sign up to. Read more…
Author: Frank Jotzo, ANU
Indonesia is among the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, and it has committed to cut its carbon footprint.
Can Indonesia achieve its goals, what is its role in the region, and how could developed countries assist? Read more…
Author: Anil Kumar Kanungo, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
How India will negotiate the issue of trade and sustainable development at international fora with its new environment minister, Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, is a question that concerns many.
Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh had fought the issue tooth and nail in different international platforms, blaming both developed and developing countries for their brazen exploitation of the environment in the guise of public good. Read more…
Author: Jochen Prantl, Oxford and RSIS
With the wide acceptance of global warming as both real and potentially problematic, geoengineering — defined by the UK’s Royal Society as ‘the deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to counteract anthropogenic climate change’ — is currently experiencing a surge of interest.
Despite the differentiated nature of the challenges, the greatest risk and uncertainty for the Asia Pacific region will most likely arise from changes in the frequency of extreme weather events, which are very difficult to manage. Read more…
Author: Neil Gunningham, ANU
Climate change is widely recognised as the greatest challenge confronting our generation, and one which, if not addressed, may have catastrophic consequences.
Recent science reveals that the window for effective mitigation is short. Read more…
Author: Kazuhiko Takeuchi and Nicholas Turner, UNU-ISP
Two months after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the full extent of their tragic physical and human consequences is all too clear. But the natural disasters, and the subsequent nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, also have wider implications for Japan’s domestic and foreign policies.
The impact of this ‘triple disaster’ upon Japan’s plans to tackle climate change may be particularly strong. Read more…
Author: Benjamin Fox, Tunghai University
As the effects of climate change in Asia become more obvious every year, carbon emission reduction policy in the region remains largely inadequate.
During the signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, most of Asia’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting nations were considered developing countries and therefore not held to internationally binding agreements to reduce emissions. Read more…
Author: Katherine Morton, ANU
Transnational and non-militarised challenges to the security and wellbeing of states and peoples are now central to the evolving international security agenda.
The discourse on non-traditional security (NTS) is redefining perceptions and pushing the boundaries of security cooperation at regional and global levels. Read more…