Research Database

In this study, we estimate monthly variations of surface-water storage (SWS) and subsurface water storage (SSWS, including groundwater and soil moisture) within the Lower Mekong Basin located in Vietnam and Cambodia during the 2003–2009 period. The approach is based on the combination of multisatellite observations using surface-water extent from MODIS atmospherically corrected land-surface imagery, and […]

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a diverse region characterized by rapid economic growth, demographic change and urbanization. The dominance of energy supply from non-renewable resources in the region means that the increasing energy demand has implications for energy security, as well as adverse local and global environmental effects. Climatic conditions in the region are favorable for renewable energy (RE) resources, especially but not only wind and solar technologies. ASEAN countries differ strongly in terms of their national policy frameworks and progress in renewable energy development; the overall target of 23% renewables by 2025 is very ambitious under current policy frameworks. This paper identifies a gap between these national policies and local governance, especially in urban areas, which requires attention to ensure future target fulfilment. By employing a new combined correlation and decomposition approach at country and city levels, we investigate the determinants of RE expansion and explore the trend drivers in ASEAN countries from 1995 to 2013. An Impact Matrix is developed to position and interpret the relative push (e.g. policy) and pull (e.g. market) impacts on RE development, and to derive policy recommendations for countries and sectors. The results highlight that urban areas should be the focus of RE policy and governance in addition to rural areas. The tremendous impact of economic growth creates a great impetus for renewable energy development, but urbanization is the second pull for renewable energy extensions. Since the two effects are located in the first quadrant of the Impact Matrix, if strategists affect these factors, they will create the most powerful incentive for renewable energy growth. This confirms that if the strategic aim is to promote renewable energy market development, through policy and governance measures, the focus should be on urban areas, non-electricity sectors and the demand side.

This study investigates the relationship between financial development and environmental degradation in ASEAN-5 countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand over the period of 2000 to 2014. The Panel Unit Root test, Panel Cointegration test, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) Granger Causality, and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS) are used in this study to examine the short-run and the long-run as well as the causality relationship among the variables. Variables employed in this study are carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, foreign direct investment (FDI), private domestic credit (DC), and market capitalization (MC). The empirical findings show that all the variables are stationary at order I(1) and there is a cointegration relationship among the variables. The results show that there is a bidirectional causality relationship between the CO2 and FDI. Meanwhile, there is a unidirectional causality running from CO2 to DC, MC to FDI, and MC to DC respectively. The strong policy and institution structures are suggested to improve environmental degradation through new technologies and financial development and financial reforms play a role in protecting the environment.

Global Energy Interconnection(hereafter GEI) is not only connectivity of power grid, but also a series of methodical innovations for energy transition towards sustainable and resilient societies,which is different from the traditional energy development mode in the past. This paper seeks to summarize the key features about the above-mentioned innovations, as Green & Clean, Balanced & Reciprocal, Efficient & Intelligent and Vitality & Business opportunity. Finally it puts forward some reflections on the future development of GEI based on ASEAN practice cases.

Climate change phenomenon has become one of the major issues discussed in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN as one of the most influential regions in the world tries to combat climate change by developing renewable energy and creating a better living in the region. To pursue its ambition, ASEAN cooperates with United States of America (U.S) as one of its dialogue partners following the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016- 2025. This paper is using qualitative research method through secondary data analysis to explain how ASEAN-U.S cooperation on renewable energy helps ASEAN to combat climate change. Throughout the research, ASEAN-U.S cooperation on renewable energy is potentially beneficial and helpful for ASEAN to pursue its ambition in terms of investment provision and technology and information exchange.

A novel ‘Sustainability Window’ (SuWi) approach is applied for simultaneous analysis of the pillars of sustainable development; social, environmental and economic, of Lao PDR. This new method employs a variety of indicators for a comprehensive and holistic analysis of sustainable development and green inclusive economy. The analysis is grounded in the assumption that economic development is required for social development, but that simultaneously development needs to be guarded or limited to protect the environment that underpins it. As all three dimensions of sustainable development are interlinked, a comprehensive analysis requires an analytical approach that is simultaneous. The analyses provide information on minimum levels of economic development that are needed to fulfil social sustainability criteria, in tandem with the maximum economic development that avoids breaching environmental sustainability criteria. If actual economic growth lies between these minima and maxima, we can interpret that development is more sustainable with respect to the relationships embodied by the selected social and environmental indicators. The main source of data is the database of the Sustainable Society Index (SSI) developed by the Sustainable Society Foundation (SSF). The indicators used by SSI have been chosen for the Sustainability Window analysis as they can be used to assess both ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ interpretations of sustainability. Weak sustainability is defined operationally as no increase in the environmental or carbon emissions intensity of the economy, while strong sustainability is defined as no increase in absolute emissions. Further, a novel Environmental Efficiency Gap analysis has been included in the Sustainability Window. This provides information about the necessary improvement in GDP production efficiency with respect to environmental emissions. Sustainability Window combined with Environmental Efficiency Gap analysis, provides critical knowledge for planners and decision makers. It provides strategic indications of how to aim for social and environmental sustainability through economic investment and growth targets. These new methods can be used in transdisciplinary research of sustainable development and can also assist in national and regional comparisons. In the case of Lao PDR, the analysis needs to be broadened for more fundamental understanding of the gaps and weaknesses. SuWi can be used to assess the sustainable development needed to address the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The SuWi does not provide direct policy recommendations as such, but helps to inform decision makers about the direction of development pathways towards these key goals.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is one of the most diverse regions. 3.6% of global greenhouse-gas emissions was released in 2013 and is expected to rise substantially due to increasing population and income. Understanding how greenhouse-gas emissions in the region have evolved is an important first step to develop appropriate policies and this paper analyses the historical increase in CO2 emissions over the period 1971/2013, based on IPAT/Kaya approach combined with Variance analysis technique. Main findings indicate that: (1) population growth and increased income per capita have the largest contribution to emission growth; (2) fossil fuels increasingly become the dominant fuel and reversing this is a challenging task; (3) Energy efficiency gains have been achieved but it is the only factor that reduced emissions; and (4) the effect of changes in carbon intensity of fossil energy was negligible. These results should help Governments frame effective policies.

Offshore renewable energy resources are options to address a country’s energy and climate objectives without having to occupy vast amount of land space. Offshore wind power production, among the various offshore renewable options, has gained popularity albeit its dependence on the deployment location’s wind conditions, technical challenge in construction and grid connection, and potentially high capital cost. The wind conditions in Southeast Asia are generally much less favourable as compared to other parts of the world, but several economies in this region consider offshore wind energy as a long term solution to decarbonize the electricity sector and to diversify the source of electricity. There is thus a need to evaluate the true benefits of offshore wind energy under the region’s suboptimal climatic conditions. In response, this study employs the life cycle analysis approach to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of offshore wind energy in the context of Southeast Asia. Findings from study suggest that the cost of offshore wind energy remains high at the moment for Southeast Asia. The findings further contribute to the debate on offshore wind energy by setting the bottom-line for deployment under unfavourable climatic conditions in the tropical region and world-wide. However, offshore wind farm could still represent a plausible option through technology innovation in wind turbine designs and reductions in the cost of wind turbine and submarine power cable. As suggested in this study, there is potential for the cost of offshore wind energy to reach parity against onshore renewables such as solar energy in the context of Southeast Asia.

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.