Do you know ASEAN? Yes, it is the regional organization consists of 10 member countries from the Southeast Asia region, namely Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippine, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Originally, this organization was created in 1967 to ensure the stability in the region. As the cold war between US and Soviet Union was depicted as threat, the cooperation has turned their focus.
During these years, the cooperation amongst the ASEAN member states has been growing very fast. It covers a very wide range of issues in the region. From the political and security issues such as border, maritime, peace and conflict, to the economic issues such as trade agreement, finance and investment to the socio-cultural issues such as migrant worker, trafficking and many more. But unfortunately, it seems the ASEAN is a bit forgetting to get the environmental issues along with the cooperation.
Environmental Challenges
The cross border impact created by the regional integration process has been appeared in several ASEAN member states. River dam projects in Mekong region for instance, became one of the most favorable sectors for Mekong Region countries. By attracting investment in river dam’s projects, the Mekong Region expected to gain more economic benefit. Unfortunately, the cost and benefit calculation does not incorporate the local people’s perspective. Various research and studies conducted by civil society and research communities find out that the projects development will cause local people nearby the river will lose their income, as the project will harm the ecosystem. Various studies and research by civil society groups have been conducted to have a deeper understanding on the impact of the Large Scale project. It stated that over 70,000 people, including indigenous people, will be displaced during the dam’s construction. The dams also threaten the Salween River basin’s ecosystem, which is home to at least 235 wildlife species and 170 fish species and will severely affect the millions of people who rely on the ecosystem for their livelihood.
Another critical issues related to environmental issue in ASEAN is the issue of extractive projects in across Southeast Asia. Laid in a natural resource rich region, ASEAN member states, except Singapore, the resource extraction has fueled the economic growth of these countries. The process of extraction leave behind the environmental hazard such as: abandoned post mining sites, the forest cutting issues, and dangerous and toxic tailing. Unfortunately, it is evident that the producer countries such as Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, left with nothing after the mineral has been transported out of their countries. While consumer countries such as Singapore and Thailand, enjoy their neighbor richness without any headache of the environmental impact.
Realizing the challenges and the threat of environmental degradation in the region, various civil societies from across Southeast Asia are proposing to have an environmental pillar in the region. It was gradually called in 2008. In October 2009, in Cha-am, Thailand, the 5th ASEAN Peoples’ Forum (APF2) called on ASEAN’s leaders to establish a Strategic Pillar on the Environment. Attended by more than 700 activists from across the region, the APF called the ASEAN to build a pillar on environment which will cover several issues such as the large scale development projects that lead to the environment and livelihood destruction. “Large-scale development projects, such as mining, dams, ASEAN power grid, roads and industrial plantation, currently key drivers of the ASEAN economy, have led to environmental degradation and resulted in negative impacts on culture and livelihoods of peoplesand communities in the region. Such a development thrust has further exacerbated inequality and food insecurity in the region, wheremany, especially the poor, are suffering from rising food prices, severe hunger, rising unemployment and falling incomes, and lack ofaccess and control over land, water, productive resources, genetic resources, as well as social protection” Statement of the ASEANPeoples’ Forum-Fourth ASEAN Civil Society Conference”, 20 – 22 February 2009, Bangkok, Thailand
The forum then continued in a larger forum in Indonesia. During the 6th ASEAN Civil Society Conference/APF in Jakarta, more than a thousand activist called for ASEAN to develop an effective legal framework that requires full cooperating social and environmental accountability to reduce the social and environmental consequences of their investments in natural resource extraction projects, including large-scale hydro-power dams, mining, oil and gas projects. The forum has also called ASEAN to develop an ASEAN Extractive Industry Framework that guides member countries’ governance of their coal, gas, and mineral resources, to encourage maximum transparency, meaningful public participation, accountability and appropriate policies that promote ecological sustainability and economic, social and cultural rights based on accepted international standards and best practices.
This new ASEAN Strategic Pillar on Environment should be founded on internationally accepted standards and best practices that promote ecological sustainability, economic, social, and cultural rights. To create a new pillar on ASEAN will take time and energy. In the political context, But it is a good start to create opinion changes in ASEAN that environmental issues are critical and need their full attention. What happened in Thailand is a very good sign for them to realize that the nature can be so cruelly impact the economic.