The ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting was held in Manila from September 25-29, 2017. With the theme, “One ASEAN community to resilient and sustainable energy”, the meeting laid the foundation for “for the enhancement of cooperation under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016-2025.” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi stated that the meeting primarily discussed ensured access to adequate supply of “resilient and sustainable energy in the ASEAN region.”
Climate Action Network– Southeast Asia, together with like-minded organizations in the region, released a statement at the conclusion of this event to urge energy ministers to scale up actions towards clean energy. The statement released by CAN is as follows:
Civil Society urges ASEAN Ministers on Energy to ramp up ambition to meet Paris goals
29 September 2017, Manila Philippines: The ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) was concluded in Manila today to discuss the region’s energy plans – most of which will not be enough to meet the goals set in the Paris Agreement to keep global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees.
According to the World Bank, some of the world’s fastest-growing economies are in the region – Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia with 6.9% GDP growth and Laos with 7% GDP growth in 2017. With this growth expected to continue, we need to fuel the region’s economy with energy.
But we don’t need any more fossil fuel than we already have – coal and natural gas are not the answer to this demand. Renewable energy presents us with cheaper and cleaner alternatives and the opportunity to solve the climate crisis.
Climate Action Network Southeast Asia (CANSEA) urges the ASEAN Ministers on Energy to rethink the region’s energy plans and be more ambitious. Renewable energy is at the core of sustainable development for our growing economies.
Southeast Asian organizations who are members and partners of CAN issued the following statements:
“As a rapidly expanding region, we face the need to provide energy access to many of our constituents. It is a great challenge but is also a great opportunity to turn to renewable energy (RE) for solutions. Unless our nations and the regional bloc become more aggressive in developing RE power stations – especially solar, wind and small hydro – we will be left behind by the rest of the world in our global goal of achieving the 1.5-degree target set in the Paris climate accord. Climate impacts such as extreme weather conditions and droughts are already felt in the region and we are just not moving fast enough.”
– Nithi Nesadurai, Climate Action Network Southeast Asia (CANSEA) Node Coordinator (based in the Global Environment Centre, Malaysia)
“Accounting for the external costs of coal – health problems, ecosystem damage, life, livelihood, and lifestyle disruption – coal can never be cheap. No matter what processes are done when handling coal – coal washing, desulfurization, low NOx burning, electrostatic precipitation, etc – coal can never be clean. Not only coal-based energy can propel a country to economic progress. Renewable energy – solar and wind – promises energy security with a cleaner environment.”
– Dakila Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism (a group of artists, students, and individuals committed to working together to creatively spark social consciousness formation towards social change)
“Local governments play a crucial role in the transition to 100% renewable energy. Policies and strategies led at the local level take into account respective local context and can, therefore, produce specific and accurate results towards achieving climate goals; clean energy included”
– Victorino Aquitania, Director, ICLEI Southeast Asia
About Climate Action Network:
Climate Action Network (CAN) is a global network of over 1200 NGOs working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels. www.climatenetwork.org
For more information, contact:
Mickey Eva, Regional Communications Officer for Asia, CAN International Secretariat
Email: jeva@climatenetwork.org, or whatsapp/call on +639175076425
