Research Database

The study examines CO2 emission trends from electricity generation in ASEAN countries, highlighting factors influencing emissions, evaluating policy effectiveness, and identifying the shift from coal-fired plants as crucial for substantial emission reduction to achieve the region's 2050 net-zero transition goal.

The article attempts to investigate impacts of determinants on per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in six developing countries in Southeast Asia between 1985 and 2014 using a panel dataset. We found that electric power per capita, energy use, and gross domestic product have positive influences on per capita CO2emissions in Southeast Asia. However, population and renewable energy consumption negatively affect per capita CO2 emissions in this region. Our results also addressed that per capita CO2 emissions of Indonesia and Viet Nam are higher than that of other countries in the region. Lastly, policies are recommended to reduce CO2 emissions and protect the environment in Southeast Asia, including improvement of energy efficiency of countries in the region, implementation of the Project in Clean Energy Investments, reduction of fuel and CO2 emissions applied to light duty vehicles and high duty vehicles, exploitation of advantages in exporting greenhouse gas emissions, and cooperation among countries in the region in order to reduce emissions.

The total amount exploitable hydropower resources in the Association for South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) is large providing a low-carbon development opportunity for the region through cross-border grid connection. For more than a decade several, goals and planning frameworks have been formulated and implemented but no effort has been made to assess the sustainability potentials of planned interconnections. This paper establishes a methodology to critically review the energy security, affordability and carbon emission profile of the region under deepened cross border grid connectivity scenarios. The analysis shows the planned grid connectivity is economically and technically feasible, but changes in the current institutional environment will inevitably bring low-carbon benefits of cross-border grid connectivity. Investments in a diversity of renewable energy options to the interconnected grids could enhance ASEAN energy security and meet climate goals, without having to resort to building fossil fuel powered plants. Considering the cross-borders grid connectivity and integration of renewable energy into current grid infrastructure options are capital intensive, a further coordinated approach for the ASEAN governments involved is recommended.