September 18, 2024
SINGAPORE – Despite record heatwaves, floods and storms across much of South-east 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.
“Since 2022, the region has been buffeted by geopolitical events from the Russia-Ukraine war, South China Sea and the Israel-Gaza conflict. What this means is higher inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, higher energy, food and fertiliser prices, and job insecurity.”
She added: “The very high-level climate concerns demonstrated in 2021 may have given way to the region’s main preoccupation with bread-and-butter issues, even if climate change is real and has immediate impacts on them.”
While climate change has become a growing threat to the region, there is a risk that people are losing sight of the urgency of the problem, said Mr Choi Shing Kwok, the institute’s chief executive, at the media event on Sept 17 announcing the latest survey results.
“Without fail, we have witnessed record-breaking extreme weather every year in almost all inhabitable parts of the world, to the extent that many of us, when we do see these reports, are becoming a bit desensitised. However, here in South-east Asia, at what is arguably the front lines of the climate crisis, we must not lose sight of this threat,” he said.
But there is some good news.
Ms Seah pointed to the positive finding that the proportion of people who regard “climate change as an important issue that deserves to be monitored” increased to 47 per cent in 2024, from 25.7 per cent in 2021 and 41.9 per cent in 2023.
She told The Straits Times: “To me, this is the silent majority who needs to be speaking out and making their concerns known to the governments.”
Looking ahead, nearly 60 per cent of people in South-east Asia believe their lives will be greatly affected by climate change in the next 10 years, up from 55.7 per cent in 2023. And 73.5 per cent were very concerned or somewhat concerned that a warming world will affect food availability and affordability in the next three years, according to the survey.
Just over half of the survey respondents believe climate change impacts will negatively affect their health. Respondents from the Philippines (71.5 per cent), Vietnam (61.4 per cent) and Thailand (55.8 per cent) showed the greatest concern. In Singapore, 42.1 per cent felt climate change impacts would affect their health.
Floods (70.3 per cent), heatwaves (51.8 per cent), and landslides triggered by heavy rain (49.8 per cent) were the top three most serious climate change impacts in the lived climate experiences of people in the region in 2024.
About two-thirds of those polled regarded prolonged drought and heatwaves (68.6 per cent) as the main climate impacts affecting their country’s food availability, followed by floods (62.4 per cent). This reflects the El Nino phenomenon in 2023-2024, which caused drought and raised temperatures in the region.
In 2023, floods were viewed as the most serious impact on food availability.
Across Asean, solar energy (69 per cent), hydropower (41.8 per cent) and wind energy (31.8 per cent) remained respondents’ top three clean energy sources that they believe have the greatest potential, the same as in 2023. Nuclear garnered 9.9 per cent of respondents’ votes, up from 6.1 per cent in 2023.
In Singapore, 78.2 per cent of respondents backed solar energy as having the greatest potential, while 20.3 per cent voted for nuclear, perhaps reflecting the Government’s recent steps to investigate nuclear as a serious option for clean energy.
Fewer people in the region said they believe that natural gas is a good temporary replacement for coal while countries develop renewable energy – nearly 37.4 per cent (41.2 per cent in Singapore) in 2024, down from 44.7 per cent in 2023.
Across the region, 70.4 per cent supported a national carbon tax, up from 68 per cent in 2023.
Nearly half (46.8 per cent) felt fossil fuel subsidies should be cut in their country, while 31.8 per cent were unsure and 17.1 per cent disagreed, similar to 2023.
In terms of regional climate leadership, 43.1 per cent said Singapore had the potential to take the top spot, up from 38.7 per cent in 2023. In second spot was Indonesia (12.3 per cent), while Thailand (12.2 per cent) came third.
Half of respondents in Singapore (50.1 per cent) felt their government regarded climate change as an urgent priority, the highest in the region. This is followed by Vietnam (36.7 per cent), Brunei (29.9 per cent), the Philippines (23.8 per cent) and Malaysia (21.1 per cent).
Respondents said they were taking steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions, though the picture is mixed: 71.4 per cent of respondents said they had reduced their use of single-use plastics, down from 83.5 per cent in 2023; 51.5 per cent reduced their electricity use, down from 54.2 per cent in 2023; and 45.9 per cent chose public transport, walking or cycling, up from 42.9 per cent in 2023.
Increasingly, people in the region are relying on social media, messaging apps and specialist climate sites for climate change information.
Mainstream news is still the most popular source at 36 per cent, followed by social media and online influencers or public figures (28.7 per cent) and messaging app channels such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal (13.4 per cent).
But in 2023, nearly half chose mainstream media. This was followed by social media and online influencers or public figures (18.1 per cent) and conversations with family, friends and peers (14.8 per cent).
The majority of respondents were under the age of 50. Nearly 40 per cent were aged between 22 and 35, followed by the ages of 36 to 45 (23.6 per cent) and 16 to 21 (15.8 per cent).