Search Climate Insights Directory

This report examines the governance challenges facing the development of cross-border subsea power cables in ASEAN. While technical feasibility is established, the report identifies gaps in regional planning, cost allocation, and maritime coordination. Drawing on Europe's experience with the Ten-Year Network Development Plan and Cross-Border Cost Allocation, it recommends a phased approach: first operationalising the ASEAN Power Grid Generation and Transmission Planning (AGTP) function, then piloting benefit-based cost allocation, and finally strengthening cross-sectoral maritime spatial planning.

This fact sheet by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the global economic and energy impacts 100 days into the Iran war, specifically focusing on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. It details spikes in oil and gas prices, disruptions to fertiliser and food supply chains, and a subsequent surge in clean energy policy and investment, particularly within Asia.

This report by Ember examines the dual challenge facing Asia-Pacific power grids: managing the variability introduced by rapid renewable energy expansion and adapting to increasing climate volatility. It argues for a shift from reactive asset-level hardening to systemic adaptation, proposing that artificial intelligence (AI) can serve as a strategic coordination layer to integrate fragmented data, link siloed analytical models, and support complex decision-making to ensure grid reliability in a warming climate.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) has issued guidelines for its May 2026 Innovation Challenges, a call for proposals seeking transformative resilience solutions from entrepreneurs and organisations in the Global South. The initiative offers selected winners up to US$50,000 in funding and a comprehensive support package including mentoring, a leadership academy, and communications assistance to scale innovations that address climate and environmental risks.

This report by Ember examines the risks associated with integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the power sector, specifically within the ASEAN region. It details technical, operational, and governance challenges—including data limitations, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and regulatory gaps—while providing policy recommendations to ensure a safe and efficient energy transition.

This report by Ember examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can facilitate the integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) in ASEAN power systems. It identifies five key AI applications—forecasting, predictive maintenance, dispatch optimisation, real-time control, and dynamic line rating—that can reduce operational costs and emissions. While the region shows strong AI readiness, adoption is currently fragmented and limited to pilot projects. The report estimates that widespread AI adoption could save up to $67 billion and reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 400 million tonnes by 2035.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines whether increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports can guarantee energy security for Southeast Asian nations. While ASEAN members are investing USD 20.4 billion in LNG infrastructure to meet rising demand and declining domestic supplies, the document argues that this dependence exposes the region to geopolitical supply shocks, price volatility, and competition with Europe. It suggests that investing in domestic renewable energy, upgrading grids, and accelerating the ASEAN Power Grid would provide a more resilient and secure energy future.

This policy brief by Ember examines the financing landscape for ASEAN's energy transition, highlighting a significant investment gap and the varying roles of bilateral partners like China, Japan, and the United States. It argues that the Philippines' 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship provides a strategic opportunity to coordinate regional industrial strategies—such as Indonesia's nickel downstreaming and Viet Nam's solar manufacturing—to move the region up the clean energy value chain.

This case study describes the reform of the Investment Promotion Law in Laos, supported by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The reforms aim to address revenue leakage caused by overly generous tax incentives and align investment attraction with sustainable development priorities and fiscal stability.

The report outlines the investment requirements for smart grid deployment across the ASEAN region to support clean energy integration. It estimates that ASEAN needs between $4 billion and $10.7 billion in investments, depending on the chosen pathway, to improve reliability, reduce curtailment, and enable regional power trade.

This report by Ember examines the critical role of grid reliability and modernization in sustaining the economic growth of the ASEAN region. It argues that while the region has made progress in reducing outage durations, the rapid expansion of variable renewable energy (VRE) requires a transition from basic grid modernization to 'smart grids' incorporating digital intelligence and demand-side flexibility to avoid significant economic losses and energy curtailment.

This report by Ember argues that smart grids are essential for ASEAN to integrate increasing shares of renewable energy, maintain industrial competitiveness, and reduce economic losses from power outages. It estimates that investments between $4 billion and $10.7 billion are required to modernize the region's power systems, which could in turn create up to 649,000 jobs and unlock $2.3 billion in annual economic value by 2040.

This report synthesizes 30 research projects from the SUMERNET 4 All program (2018–2024) to address water insecurities in the Mekong region. It finds that water insecurity is driven by a combination of climate change, unsustainable development, and governance failures that marginalize women, ethnic minorities, and rural populations. Key interventions identified include people-centred infrastructure (e.g., rainwater harvesting, solar pumping), adaptive agricultural practices, and the co-production of knowledge through multistakeholder engagement. The report highlights critical gaps in transboundary groundwater governance and the need for more inclusive, decentralized water management models.

This report analyzes Thailand's draft revised power development plan (RPDP), which targets a 51% renewable energy share by 2037 to support economic growth in sectors like data centers and EVs. While the plan increases renewable capacity and phases out some fossil fuels, the report warns that continued reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) exposes the Thai economy to price volatility and geopolitical risks.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the scale and diversity of the forest-climate nexus across 91 tropical countries. It quantifies forest extent, carbon stocks, and deforestation rates to argue for differentiated, fit-for-purpose policy strategies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The analysis concludes that there is no inherent trade-off between forest conservation and economic development.

The China Energy Transition Review 2025 by Ember analyzes China's rapid shift toward clean energy and electrification, detailing how its domestic policies and manufacturing scale are driving down global costs and pushing global fossil fuel demand toward a structural decline.

This technical guide by RMI analyzes the voluntary carbon market (VCM) for improved rice cultivation, focusing on the transition from invalidated CDM-based credits to more rigorous new methodologies. It details the primary and secondary practices used to reduce methane emissions, evaluates quality risks such as additionality and MRV, and provides guidance for stakeholders to identify high-integrity projects.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines how 10 countries are integrating their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to address the interconnected challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

This report by Ember discusses the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), a regional initiative to integrate electricity systems across Southeast Asia to maximize renewable energy potential and enhance energy security. It outlines the technical goals of the ASEAN Interconnection Master Plan Study (AIMS), the potential for unlocking additional solar and wind capacity through cross-border trade, and the institutional barriers that must be overcome to transition from bilateral trade to a cohesive regional market.

This report by Ember argues that modernizing and interconnecting electricity grids is the primary driver for unlocking solar and wind energy investment across ASEAN. It highlights a significant gap between current national transmission plans and the International Energy Agency's (IEA) requirements, while proposing a six-pillar framework for future-ready grid development to enhance regional energy security and economic growth.