Asean Environmental Issues Essay

Environment issues may be defined as problems related to the environment. Environmental issues have been the major challenges facing Southeast Asia in the twenty-first century (Elliott, 2001:68). It has been recorded that the ASEAN member states had been neglecting environmental aspects in their countries such as those in Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. These continued high rates of environmental decline and unsustainable development compromise economic growth, individual quality of life, social stability and potentially regional security. ASEAN faces enormous challenge in trying to solve environmental issues in the region. According to Glover and Lee (2008:1), with the growing developments that is happening in the

The issue on environment had been regularly raised in the regional political agenda. For example, in 2007 the Kyoto Protocol which aim to reduce global emissions and address the issue of global warming had been ratified by all countries in ASEAN except Brunei-only accepted the protocol in 2015 (Glover and Lee, 2008:2). Another example of ASEAN efforts in trying to solve environmental issues in the region can be seen in the creation of the ASEAN Environment Program (ASEP). By the year 1984, ASEP had already in the phase where it gets the members of ASEAN to work together and move quickly so that environmental disasters can be evaded (Sharp, 1984:45). From this it had shown that ASEAN as the main regional association in Southeast Asia had certainly played its role in trying to solve the issue of environment in Southeast Asia. However, there are still areas of which ASEAN had been unable to play its role (PLS REVISE!!!!) and this had affected the international relations in Southeast

It will also look at the agreements (binding and non-binding) that had been signed by ASEAN member states-how these agreements help in managing the environmental issues in Southeast Asia and also the challenges in implementing these agreements. The main focus of this essay would be looking at how ASEAN dealt with environmental issues and how it affected the International Relations in Southeast Asia.

CONTENT ARGUMENTS

In 1997, ASEAN had a vision for Vision 2020, where it hoped for a “clean and green’’ Southeast Asia with fully implemented mechanisms ensuring the protection of the region’s environment, the sustainability of its natural resources and high quality of life for its people (Weatherbee, 2015: 295). In so far of ASEAN achievements in trying to solve problems of environment, it proves to be lacking in response both in regional and international level. ASEAN have no power or authority to interfere as well as to safeguard the nations from transboundary environmental problems such as haze problem.

There are several environmental issues that is happening in Southeast Asia. Weatherbee (2015) states that the environmental issues in Southeast Asia includes problems of deforestation, South China Sea, haze and damages on the river, dams and the ecosystem. This will further be explained in the following