Climate Change Challenges in ASEAN-facilitated Interventions in the Mekong Subregion

The report examines the intersection of trade and climate change in the Mekong subregion (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam). It argues that while ASEAN promotes economic integration and trade liberalization, these frameworks often lack explicit climate change commitments, potentially increasing the region's vulnerability. The document highlights projected climate risks—such as sea-level rise, altered precipitation, and temperature increases—that threaten agricultural production and natural resources. It concludes that ASEAN's trade agreements (FTAs/EPAs) generally fail to incorporate climate risk assessments or mitigation strategies, recommending the mainstreaming of climate concerns into economic cooperation frameworks.

• The Mekong subregion's agricultural and natural resources are highly exposed to climate-related risks, including increased frequency of typhoons, sea-level rise, and higher temperatures, which threaten the region's development targets.
• Climate projections for the Lower Mekong basin indicate a basin-wide temperature increase of 0.79˚C and an annual precipitation increase of 0.2 metres, leading to increased flooding in all parts of the basin.
• ASEAN-led free trade agreements (FTAs) and economic partnership agreements (EPAs) generally lack explicit commitments to confront climate change, despite the vulnerability of the sectors they cover.
• The construction of hydroelectric dams in the Mekong subregion, often promoted as a low-carbon mitigation measure, may cause significant loss of non-substitutable natural capital and destroy essential ecosystems.
• While ASEAN has launched initiatives like the Singapore Declaration on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and the ASEAN Climate Change Initiative (ACCI), these have often remained dormant or have not been transformed into concrete actions for resilience.
• Trade-related barriers, such as intellectual property rights (IPRs) and high royalty fees, hinder the transfer of environmentally sound technologies necessary for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries.
• The report recommends that ASEAN mainstream climate change issues into its institutional frameworks for economic cooperation and subject all trading mechanisms and resulting projects to climate risk assessments.

APA

Dator-Bercilla, J., Villanueva, D., & Chandra, A. C. (2010). Climate Change Challenges in ASEAN-facilitated Interventions in the Mekong Subregion. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate_challenges_mekong_report.pdf

Chicago

Dator-Bercilla, Jessica, Daphne Villanueva, and Alexander C. Chandra. Climate Change Challenges in ASEAN-facilitated Interventions in the Mekong Subregion. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate_challenges_mekong_report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dator-Bercilla |first1=Jessica |last2=Villanueva |first2=Daphne |last3=Chandra |first3=Alexander C. |title=Climate Change Challenges in ASEAN-facilitated Interventions in the Mekong Subregion |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate_challenges_mekong_report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{datorbercilla2010climate, author = {Dator-Bercilla, Jessica and Villanueva, Daphne and Chandra, Alexander C.}, title = {{Climate Change Challenges in ASEAN-facilitated Interventions in the Mekong Subregion}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/climate_challenges_mekong_report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }