Who will fill the climate leadership void?

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Amid a record?elections year, discussions at the?Unlocking capital for sustainability conference held in Singapore?last Thursday were a sobering?reminder that populism, domestic priorities and geopolitics complicate and slow progress for climate action.

Geopolitical tensions, especially the US-China rivalry, threaten to hinder effective climate action in the next decade, warned former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani. In his special keynote at the forum, he spoke incisively on?why the world's largest emitters need to find common ground on tackling humanity's biggest existential threat.?

Interestingly, the results of a climate outlook survey?published by a Singapore think tank this week signals that the?shifting winds of geopolitics?could be impacting the dynamics of climate governance. The survey found that Southeast Asians could be losing confidence in the EU and US taking the lead on climate action – and have, for the first time, named Japan as a potential leader.??

Yet no matter how many competing priorities there are, Asia should not have to choose between sustaining economic growth and reducing emissions. At the forum, Singapore's climate action ambassador Ravi Menon cautioned against presenting it as a "false choice". The region will have to find a way to decouple the two, and?there can be no compromise on the eventual goal of net zero emissions, he added. "That timeline is not set by politics. It is not set by economics, but by nature.”??

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Top stories

US-China rivalry driven by irrationality could derail climate action: former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani

When geopolitics interferes, humanity cannot choose the best leaders to tackle climate change, warned the Singaporean ex-diplomat.

Southeast Asians increasingly sceptical about the West’s role as global climate leader: survey

For the first time in the annual survey, more respondents chose Japan to lead the world in achieving its Paris Agreement goals, instead of the EU or the US.

Stopping deforestation 'not costly', must be Asia's top priority with focus on integrity: Singapore’s climate action ambassador

Former central banker Ravi Menon says a carbon price of just US$20 per tonne could halve the rate at which Southeast Asia is losing its forests.

Explainer: Why the Philippines does not have a net zero target

Eco-Business examines the possible scientific and political reasons behind the decision to exclude a net zero target from its emissions reduction plan.

Trust issues, lack of verifiable credits slowing investment in Singapore's carbon market: study

The survey of energy executives in Southeast Asia found a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of carbon pricing and trading in reducing emissions.

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