Cities in Southeast Asia are threatened by rising coastal sea levels. According to Climate Central, by 2025, more than 66 million people in this region will be living below sea level. The sinking of cities in this region could be worse than previously understood, and the number of homes located below the level of average annual coastal flooding could be far more than previously thought.
Coal consumption has been reduced globally. However, this is not the trend in Southeast Asia, where coal remains the dominant energy source for electricity generation. The ASEAN countries need to seriously take coal financing into account while planning their future energy supply. There is no doubt that access to modern energy services is essential. At the same time, people yearn for leadership from ASEAN in combating climate change while ensuring energy sustainability. It is also important for ASEAN countries to commit to GHG emission reduction to the greatest extent possible in order to mitigate the risk of climate change impacts.
Strong commitments are long overdue: young people have lost patience with governments.
Young activists all over the world have taken to the streets to demand that leaders take immediate action against the climate crisis. They skipped classes to take part in environmental strikes to put pressure on their local leaders in the hope that politicians and policymakers would take them seriously and respond with a wise decision and a real promise with prompt actions. They are protesting for their future, to send a reminder to the adults, the present decisionmakers, who have put their future homes at risk.
