Southeast Asia deepening dependence on fossil fuels, report warns | Setting


ASEAN’s 10 members met everything of area’s rise in electrical energy demand final 12 months by way of fossil fuels, report says.

Southeast Asia is liable to deepening its dependence on fossil fuels because it tries to fulfill surging demand for electrical energy, an environmental assume tank has warned.

The ten nations of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met everything of the area’s 3.6 p.c rise in electrical energy demand final 12 months by way of fossil fuels, the United Kingdom-based assume tank Ember mentioned in a report launched on Tuesday.

ASEAN’s share of power generated by renewables, in the meantime, fell to 26 p.c in contrast with 28 p.c in 2022 amid a decline in hydropower manufacturing as a result of droughts and different excessive occasions, the report mentioned.

Carbon emissions grew by 6.6 p.c final 12 months, representing an extra 44 million tonnes of CO2 within the ambiance, in keeping with the report.

Prime coal polluters included Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, whereas Singapore and Thailand’s emissions largely got here from pure gasoline, in keeping with the report.

Ember mentioned the area’s gradual power transition means it’s lacking out on the advantages of renewables, together with the declining price of photo voltaic and wind energy, which at the moment are cheaper than fossil fuels.

“Persevering with at this tempo of transition dangers ASEAN changing into extra depending on fossil fuels, lacking alternatives offered by rising clear power applied sciences and economics, and failing to fulfill local weather targets,” the assume tank mentioned in its report.

“In the meantime, electrical energy demand continues to develop quickly, making it extra vital than ever to fulfill this demand with clear power.”

Ember mentioned two of probably the most promising long-term options are solar energy and wind energy, as hydropower faces rising reliability points as a result of droughts and altering rain patterns.

The report got here because the Worldwide Power Company (IEA) on Tuesday warned that Southeast Asia would wish to take a position $190bn – or 5 occasions its present charge of funding – to realize its local weather targets by 2035.

Even with clear power sources projected to fulfill greater than one-third of the expansion in power demand, the area continues to be on monitor to extend its carbon emissions by 35 p.c between now and 2050, the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation mentioned in a report.

Demand for electrical energy in Southeast Asia is about to develop at an annual charge of 4 p.c, in keeping with the IEA report.

“Clear power applied sciences should not increasing rapidly sufficient and the continued heavy reliance on fossil gas imports is leaving nations extremely uncovered to future dangers,” the IEA’s government director, Fatih Birol, mentioned.

Courtney Weatherby, the deputy director of the Stimson Middle’s Southeast Asia programme, mentioned that renewables like solar energy have nice potential however there are nonetheless many institutional roadblocks in the best way.

Many ASEAN nations are attempting to modernise and increase their power technology capability on the identical time, resulting in conflicting priorities, Weatherby mentioned, whereas renewables nonetheless face issues like storage, grid administration and the shortcoming to provide energy on demand throughout peak hours.

“Most nations in ASEAN are coming from a comparatively low start line for photo voltaic/wind deployment and which means that even speedy enlargement won’t result in a full transition in a well timed method,” Weatherby advised Al Jazeera.

“Extra importantly, the mandate for energy utilities is to make sure that the ability provide is secure and dependable in an effort to guarantee each entry to energy for customers and in addition help ongoing financial improvement by way of attracting funding, typically in manufacturing,” she added.

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