ASEAN MPs commit to addressing ‘imminent climate crisis’

Parliamentarians, government officials, and civil society organisations in Southeast Asia must work together to address the worsening climate crisis, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) have said.

The remark was made following a regional APHR conference titled “Climate Resilience in Southeast Asia: Strengthening the Role of Parliamentarians.”

“Southeast Asia is no stranger to the devastating impacts of climate change. There are endless statistics and data that show us just how imminent the risks are and how the most vulnerable often end up facing the worst of the impacts. We have so much to do and we have to come together,” said APHR Chair and member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Mercy Barends.

The conference, which APHR co-organised with the Parliament of Malaysia, the Malaysian Ministry of Natural Resources and Sustainability, and the Malaysian National Water Services Commission (SPAN), aimed to mobilise parliamentarians from across Southeast Asia to discuss the imminent risks climate change poses to the region and curate plans to address these impacts with pragmatic solutions.

“We need this kind of push to ensure political commitment,” said Sharina Abdul Halim, associate professor of the Institute for Environment and Development, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Sharina was a panelist at the conference.

“The scientific evidence is clear, but what we need to do is synergize with the politicians for deciding the course of actions.”

Over two days, the 200 participants at the conference spoke on a wide range of topics including the current state of the climate crisis in the ASEAN region, climate finance, the inclusion of a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a constitutional right, transitioning to net-zero era and developing regional best practices and collaborative solutions for transboundary climate action.

“We must ensure that key actors such as legislators and governments allocate enough state funds for climate initiatives. We must also include transparency and accountability as priorities in the climate fight,” said APHR member and Thai member of parliament Pita Limjaroenrat.

The conference also emphasised the urgent need to address both the environmental and social dimensions of this crisis.

“The impacts of the climate crisis are not abstract threats; they are already the reality for millions of people in the religion. What’s worse is that those marginalised by poverty, discrimination, or even by mere geographic location are being disproportionately affected,” said APHR Board Member and former member of the Philippines House of Representatives Teodoro Baguilat, Jr.

Parliamentarians from Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines also spoke about their experiences working on environment-related policies.

“If we are to set policy frameworks on our goal to phase out fossil fuels and accelerate the growth of renewable energy sources, we must ensure that the frameworks must be fast, fair, and well-funded,” said APHR member and member of the Philippines House of Representatives Raoul Manuel.

Before closing the conference, APHR Board Member and Malaysian member of parliament Wong Chen once again emphasised the importance of collaboration between stakeholders in the region.

“We are all ASEAN Parliamentarians, we need to work together,” said Wong Chen.