Thammasat University students interested in climate change, political science, economics, sociology, sustainability, and related subjects may find it useful to participate in a free 23 November Zoom webinar on Climate Crisis and Security.

The event, on Wednesday, 23 November 2022 at 1pm Bangkok time, is presented by Sophia University, Japan.

The TU Library collection includes many books on different aspects of climate change.

The speakers will include Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva, Fiji; Professor Paolo Conversi of the Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical Lateran University. Rome, Italy; and Professor Kathryn Baragwanath of the Australian Catholic University (ACU).

As the event webpage explains,

It has now become clear that the climate crisis has consequences that inform the security agenda. Increasingly turbulent weather systems causing flooding, disease, famine and large-scale migration have disrupted established codes of conduct and are giving rise to major conflicts.

This webinar addresses the security implications posed by the climate crisis. Through open dialogue framed by key themes of vulnerability and solidarity, the speakers will explore how the climate crisis can be a stimulus to bring our world closer together rather than allowing it to drive us further apart.

Students are invited to register for the event at this link:

https://eipro.jp/sophia/events/view/SACRU20221123

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) website notes,

• Fiscal policy can help address climate change in Asia, the region hit hardest by global warming

Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, and the stakes are particularly high for the Asia-Pacific region. Temperatures are rising two times faster in Asia than the global average, which is associated with the increased frequency and severity of weather-related natural disasters. In 2019 alone, India was buffeted by a severe heat wave that led to water scarcity in parts of the country. Torrential rains in South Asia caused large-scale population displacement, while water levels in the Mekong Delta fell to unprecedented lows due to intense dry weather. Australia faced historic bushfires fueled by a particularly harsh dry season. And more than 25 tropical cyclones wreaked damage on the Pacific and Indian Ocean coasts. Such climate hazards are projected to intensify in the period ahead.

Rising sea levels from global warming are eroding arable land in low-elevation coastal zones, posing a severe risk for rural incomes, food security, and commodity exports. By mid-century, rising waters will impact nearly a billion people in the Asia-Pacific region. Megacities such as Mumbai, Dhaka, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, and Shanghai run the risk of being submerged. Indonesia is already planning to move its heavily populated capital, Jakarta, to the island of Borneo to protect its residents from dangerous flooding. For small Pacific island countries such as Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and Tuvalu, rising sea levels pose an existential threat.

But while Asia-Pacific suffers keenly from the effects of climate change, the region is also a key source of the problem. The region produces about half of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and contains five of the largest greenhouse-gas-emitting countries. In view of Asia’s substantial share of current emissions as well as its expected future emissions growth, China, India, and other large CO2-emitting countries’ policies to curb emissions will be a critical element of the global effort.

In addition to contributing to global warming, greenhouse gas emissions from Asia’s coal-based power generation and carbon-intensive manufacturing (such as steel and cement, motor vehicles, agriculture, and domestic cooking and heating) have resulted in dangerously high levels of particulate matter in the air (McKinsey Global Institute 2020). Delhi, Dhaka, Ulaanbaatar, Kathmandu, Beijing, and Jakarta are among today’s 10 most polluted cities. The use of fossil fuels must be contained to make a serious dent in air pollution, a major contributor to mortality and respiratory diseases in developing Asia.

Climate change threatens growth, livelihoods, productivity, and well-being across all countries in the region. But fiscal policy can play a role in responding to the problem. In our recent paper, we discuss how policymakers in the Asia-Pacific region can accelerate mitigation and adaptation efforts, using fiscal policy to manage policy trade-offs and ease the transition to a low-carbon economy (Alonso and others 2021).

• Preventing further buildup of risks

Much of Asia is already responding to the mitigation challenges of climate change. Virtually all countries have made or updated commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the landmark global agreement on emissions reduction. China recently stated its goal of carbon neutrality (achieving net zero CO2 emissions) before 2060. Japan and Korea have pledged the same goal by 2050. However, more needs to be done to scale up and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Achieving this ambitious goal calls for changes in production and consumption patterns and the transformation of energy, transportation, and land use.

A carbon tax, where the government taxes carbon emissions, can be an effective tool to reduce CO2 emissions (IMF 2019). Take the case of Vietnam, which has relied heavily on fossil fuels for its rapid industrialization and is also among one of the most hazard-prone countries in the world. Gradually introducing a carbon tax of $25 a ton over the next decade would help the country meet its Paris mitigation targets. Raising the price of carbon would create incentives for firms and households to use energy more efficiently and encourage a shift from coal-powered energy to renewables. Carbon revenues of about 1 percent of GDP could then be used to finance the country’s adaptation and mitigation plans or to meet other social development needs.

Fiscal policy can also help solve the region’s air pollution problem. In China, India, and Mongolia, about 68–80 percent of emissions come from coal. A specific tax on coal produced or consumed at an equivalent carbon tax rate could be considered in these countries. India’s coal tax, introduced in 2010 and doubled in 2020, could be further strengthened. Implementing a coal tax equivalent to $25 a ton could save about three million lives by 2030 in China alone.

A critical part of enabling the transition to a low-carbon economy will be managing potential side-effects, such as rising energy costs for households and firms, labor displacement, and an unequal impact across the regions. But the effects of policies will vary across countries. For example, a carbon tax, if implemented, would be moderately regressive (disproportionately borne by poor) in China and Mongolia, but moderately progressive (disproportionately borne by rich) in India. Countries with a regressive carbon tax must support people—such as coal miners—whose livelihoods depend on energy sector jobs. These workers tend to be relatively poor and may have difficulty transitioning to growing sectors (including renewable plants).

To make up for the negative fallout from the transition, governments will have to find ways to compensate households and firms. In India, for instance, using the revenue from a carbon tax to finance a universal lump sum transfer (possibly using Aadhaar unique identification numbers) would leave 80 percent of households better-off and reduce inequality. In China, both a universal lump-sum transfer per person and a subsidy to rural households would reduce inequality. Displaced workers employed in affected sectors could be supported by extended unemployment benefits, training, and reemployment services. And higher public spending—for instance, on clean public infrastructure—could create new jobs in low-carbon sectors. Governments could also consider putting in place market-based incentives that promote access to green finance to ease financial constraints for firms…

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)