The Challenges Facing Southeast Asia’s Decarbonization

Several Southeast Asian countries are on track to develop substantial renewable power capacities in the short term, but technical, political and financial constraints, coupled with incentives to continue burning fossil fuels, mean long-term energy transition goals appear unlikely. Like much of the world, all Southeast Asian countries have ambitious plans to significantly phase out fossil fuels and, in most cases, reach net zero carbon emissions in the coming decades. For example, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam all have targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions…