Opportunities and gaps in EU-ASEAN

environment research
Dr. Anil Kumar
Associate Professor and Coordinator
Food Agriculture and Bio Systems Cluster
Asian Institute of Technology
Thailand

ASEAN Countries: Differences

ASEAN countries may be divided into a few sub-groups including:
(i) high-income developed country such as Singapore, (ii)
medium-to-high-income developing countries such as Brunei,
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and (iii)
Low-income developing countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and
Myanmar.
Per capita GDP in Singapore, which topped the list of
ASEAN countries in 2012, was about 40 times greater
than that of Myanmar, at the bottom (ADB, 2013).
Wide differences in percentage of urban population, ranging from
a low percentage of 22% in Cambodia to more than 70% in
Malaysia and Brunei, and 100% in Singapore (ADB, 2013).
Although the percentage of people living in cities is projected to
increase in all countries in the region by 2050, some countries
such as Cambodia are expected to be predominantly rural in

The ASEAN region can be considered a hotspot of climate and resource issues. It is highly
vulnerable to the impacts of climate
ASEAN is also increasingly contributing to climate change; its greenhouse gas emissions
doubled between 1990 and 2010.

Greenhouse gas emissions from ASEAN

(source: World Bank)

Wide differences in per capita GHG emisssions within the region ranging
from the lowest of about 1 ton-eq. per capita in Myanmar and the
Philippines to about 35 ton-eq. per capita in Brunei, while per
capita GHG emissions of the other ASEAN countries are below 9 ton-eq.
per capita (ADB, 2013).

Urbanization and Use of Transportation

Increase in the population (average growth 0.75%) and rapid economic development in the
ASEAN region has lead to a rapid increase in motorisation. Expansion of number of motorised,
especially in the regions middle-income countries (e.g. Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and
Thailand). For example, in Jakarta, the number of motorised vehicles has grown at roughly 9.5%
per annum for the past five years.
Total passenger-km (PKM) is estimated to grow at a yearly rate of 3.5%, increasing five-fold from
1.5 trillion PKM in 2005 to 7 trillion PKM in 2050 with the annual increase (as in 2005) in road,
rail and air transport activity volumes of 3.5%, 2% and 2% respectively.
Number of motor vehicles by mode
for 6 Southeast Asian countries
(Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam)
*MC-two: Motorized two-wheeler
MC-three: three wheeler
LCV: Light Commercial vehicle
HCV: High Commercial vehicle
PC: Personal Car
Source: ADB (2009)

The total CO2 emissions from land transport in Southeast Asia reached 193Mt in
2005.
According to Clean Air Asia, the business-as-usual scenario would result in
emissions of 1.6Tt in 2050

Transport CO2 contribution by country in

2005 (source: ITPS, 2014)

Waste Management

Solid waste generation in most of the ASEAN countries is relatively high

(due to increasing population and economic growth).

ASEANs municipal solid waste is mostly comprised of organic waste,

followed by paper and plastic.

Solid waste management (collection, transportation and final disposal) is

weak due to insufficient waste collection equipment and landfills
and the common practice of open dumping (also directly into rivers), with
a low proportion of waste recycled or composted.

Agricultural waste amounts to 15% of all waste generated in ASEAN the

potential of which to generate energy is wasted.

Other main reasons for the weak waste management in ASEAN are the
lack of institutional frameworks and governmental support,
resources particularly financing, technologies, capacity and
skills (Ngoc & Schnitzer, 2009).

in Singapore, where about 44.4% of solid waste is recycled

Waste Treatment Methods

Mostly Open dumping and landfill, followed by
incineration and composting

Generally, fresh water availability in the ASEAN region is greater than the
global average, but is unequally distributed geographically and seasonally
(FAO, 2011). For example, in Thailand, 80% of the annual precipitation falls
between May and October.
Proportion use of water withdrawals by sectors in
South East Asia, 2002
(Source: UN-ESCAP, 2011)

Availability of natural water resources per unit area

by world, region and subregion, 2008 (Source: UNESCAP, 2011)

Forestry

ASEANs total land area is 40% covered with forest and the region contains the worlds
third largest tropical forest. Despite being highly forested, South-east Asias
deforestation rate is the worlds highest but each year the region loses 1.2% of its forest
cover, with Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines reporting annual losses of two per
cent over the last five years (FAO 2006)

THANK YOU