ASEAN Environmental
Challenge – Climate
Change
Glynda Bathan-Baterina
Deputy Executive Director
The Third ASEAN Chief Justices Roundtable on Environment
“ASEAN’s Environmental Challenges and Legal Responses”
15-18 November 2013
Bangkok, Thailand
● Heat trapping air pollutants, most notably carbon
dioxide, are changing the Earth’s climate.
● The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
increased by 40% since the start of the industrial
era due to emissions from burning coal, oil, and
natural gas.
● Temperatures have risen around the world as a
result.
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council, 2013
Source: ABN, 2013
• Southeast Asia’s 563 million people are concentrated along coastlines leaving it
exposed to rising sea levels
• Heavy reliance on agriculture for livelihood makes SEA vulnerable to droughts,
floods, tropical cyclones associated with warming
Source: ADB, 2009
Source: ABN, 2013
• Heat waves, droughts, floods and tropical cyclones have been more intense and
frequent causing damage to property and human life. Recorded floods/storms have
risen dramatically, particularly in the Philippines, rising from just under 20 in 19601969 to nearly 120 by 2000-2008
Source: ADB, 2009
Source: IBTimes, 2013
Source: IBTimes, 2013
Source: IBTimes, 2013
Photos from
Source: Rappler, 2013IBTimes, Rappler, GMANews
Economic Impacts of Climate Change in SEA
● Rice yield potential to decline by up to 50% on
average by Year 2100 compared to 1990
● Forests could be replaced by tropical savanna
and shrub with low or no carbon
sequestration potential
● Potential economic cost of inaction would
be 6.7% per year of the combined GDP of
Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and
Vietnam by 2100
Source: ADB, 2009
Decouple economic growth & GHG emissions
Legal issues and questions
● What is the current science and economics
behind climate change?
● Is the existing law applied effectively to the
problem of climate change?
● How are cases related to climate change
justiciable if at all?
● Do the courts have any role in relation to
climate change, or will they only be
adjudicating at earlier stages?
For
Formore
moreinformation:
information: www.cleanairasia.org
www.cleanairasia.org
Clean Air Asia Center
center@cleanairasia.org
Unit 3505 Robinsons Equitable Tower
ADB Avenue, Pasig City
Metro Manila 1605
Philippines
Clean Air Asia China Office
Clean Air Asia India Office
china@cleanairasia.org
901A Reignwood Building,
No. 8 YongAnDongLi
Jianguomenwai Avenue Beijing
China
india@cleanairasia.org
1st Floor, Building No. 4
Thyagraj Nagar Market, Lodhi Colony
New Delhi 110003
India
Clean Air Asia Country Networks
China
Clean Air Asia
Center Members
• Asia Clean Fuels
Association
• Corning
• Shell
. India . Indonesia . Nepal . Pakistan . Philippines . Sri Lanka .
240Vietnam
Clean Air Asia
Partnership Members
• Cities
• Environment ministries and government
agencies
• Development agencies and foundations
• Non-government organizations
• Academic and research institutions
• Private sector companies and associations
Donors in 2012 to 2013
Asian Development Bank  Cities Development Initiative for Asia  ClimateWorks Foundation
 DHL/IKEA/UPS  Energy Foundation  Fredskorpset Norway  Fu Tak Iam Foundation 
German International Cooperation (GIZ)  Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
(IGES)  Institute for Transport Policy Studies  Institute for Transportation and Development
Policy  International Union for Conservation of Nature  L'Agence Française de
Développement (AFD)  MAHA  Pilipinas Shell  Rockefeller Brothers Fund  Shakti
Foundation  Shell Foundation  United Nations Environment Program Partnership for Clean
Fuels and Vehicles (UNEP PCFV)  USAID CEnergy  Veolia  World Bank
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