Summary Reader Response (Revised)

The article by Tim Daubach (2019) “How can Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition be sped up?” highlights the lack of urgency in Southeast Asia’s development of renewable energy and identifies possible solutions to the constraints faced by the region. According to the article, one major obstacle preventing the widespread implementation of renewable energy is due to the heterogeneous collection of cultures. In order to circumvent this, a calibrated approach to each specific area is recommended. For areas with land constraints, using nuclear fusion to generate electricity has huge upsides as it is free of emissions and requires little space. However, finding alternative sources of renewable energy is not enough if the region does not reduce its energy consumption to reduce the rate of climate change. Furthermore, integrating policymaking with sustainable energy goals can help to provide a platform for the sector to grow and spur economic growth as well. With Southeast Asia being a developing region growing in both population size and economic development, the limited availability of sustainable energy has not been sufficient to supply the growing energy demand, leading to a slow transition to sustainable energy. This is due to the varying standards of living, slow adoption of nuclear fusion, energy wastage and lack of government initiatives. 

 

First and foremost, Southeast Asia must recognise that with varying standards of living, the switch to sustainable energy has to be tailored according to the specific regions' needs and constraints. As highlighted by Delina (2019), developing countries would need assistance in the infrastructure required to transit to sustainable energy. Without the infrastructure, the people in developing countries will continue to use readily available non-renewable energy sources such as coal and wood. Hence, for Southeast Asia to move towards sustainable energy, the region has to provide help to developing countries to ensure that renewable energy becomes accessible and also at a low-cost, thus allowing the general population to adopt it.

 

Moving forward, renewable energy like nuclear fusion has promising prospects in the sustainable energy industry as it occupies a small area and produces zero emission. Nian (2015) identified that utilising nuclear energy can help support the region’s need for increased energy production while having a significantly smaller environmental impact, as renewable energy such as hydropower will not be sufficient to fuel the region's economic growth due to lack of proper infrastructure. However, due to the nuclear power plant accidents, Southeast Asian countries are still wary of nuclear power and are reluctant to adopt it.

 

Besides energy production, energy consumption is equally important as energy wastage leads to excess carbon emissions. To prevent energy wastage, the region should promote the use of appliances and equipment that are energy efficient. By adopting efficient energy usage, it can reduce the strain in energy production while the region transitions to renewable energy production. In fact, efficient energy use is the easiest step in reducing carbon footprint because it does not require major infrastructure changes or a large capital.

 

Lastly, the change towards a sustainable future must begin with proactive measures from the governments in the region to support the growth of sustainable energy. Erdiwansyah et al. (2019) state that with suitable government interventions, it is possible to solve energy scarcity even among rural areas and at the same time it can support the local economy and in turn improve the standard of living. With ease of access to the market, it will entice foreign investors to invest in the country as well and boost economic growth.

 

As Southeast Asia continues expanding, it is important that the region does so sustainably. The unique constraints faced by the region must be tackled contextually and while the region explores breakthrough technology, it should take the first step towards a sustainable future through energy conservation and implementing policies that support growth in the sustainable energy sector. 

 

 

(Word Count: 636 words)

References

Delina, L. L. (2019). Accelerating sustainable energy transition(s) in developing countries. Routledge.

Erdiwansyah, Mamat, R., Sani, M. S. ., & Sudhakar, K. (2019). Renewable energy in Southeast Asia: Policies and recommendations. The Science of the Total Environment, 670, 1095–1102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.273

Nian, V. (2015). Progress in Nuclear Power Technologies and Implications for ASEAN. Energy Procedia, 75, 2852–2858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.07.571

Daubach, T. (2019, July 19). How can Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition be sped up? Eco Business. https://www.eco-business.com/news/how-can-southeast-asias-clean-energy-transition-be-sped-up/