More in S-E Asia focused on livelihoods over climate

Geopolitics driving region's concerns with food security, inflation: Researcher

- David Fogarty

Despite record heatwaves, floods and storms across much of Southeast Asia in 2024, more people in the region are concerned about bread-and-butter issues such as food security than about climate change, according to a new survey.

The proportion of those who see climate change as a serious and immediate threat dropped to 42.5 per cent in 2024, the latest South-east Asia Climate Outlook Survey by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute found. This was down from 49.4 per cent in 2023, 45.8 per cent in 2022, and 72.2 per cent in 2021.

This might seem counter-intuitive as 2023 was the hottest year on record globally and 2024 is shaping up to be just as extreme, with devastating floods, storms and heatwaves hitting the region this year.

Earlier in September, Typhoon Yagi killed hundreds as it swept across northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, damaging or destroying crops and livelihoods.

The annual survey of regional climate views also found that nearly 70 per cent of respondents reported experiences of food insecurity, compared with 60 per cent in 2023.

Of the respondents who experienced some level of food insecurity, 42.5 per cent blamed it on rising food prices, while 28.8 per cent attributed it to climate change.

The survey, in its fifth edition since 2020, polled nearly 3,000 people online in all 10 Asean nations between July 10 and Aug 17. Its findings were released on Sept 17.

Despite the growing toll from extreme weather, the findings show that many in the region are more focused on bread-and-butter concerns, said Ms Sharon Seah, survey lead author and coordinator of the Asean Studies Centre and the Climate Change in South-east Asia Programme at the institute.