The Challenges Of Energy Transition In Vietnam And In Southeast Asia

Addressing the apparent tensions between modernity and sustainability in Southeast Asia, this book offers novel insights into the global challenge of moving towards a low carbon energy system. With an original and accessible take on social theory related to energy transitions, modernity and sustainability, Mattijs Smits argues for a reinvigorated geography of energy. He also challenges universalistic and linear assumptions about energy transitions and makes the case for ’energy trajectories’, stressing embeddedness, contingency and connections between scales. Contemporary and historical empirical examples from Southeast Asia, primarily Thailand and Laos, are drawn upon to show the importance of scale at regional, national, local and household levels. The transitions in the national power sectors here have been intimately related to discourses of modernity and state formation since the colonial era. More recently, plans for international cooperation and discourses of regional power trade have taken centre stage. Local energy trajectories are understood to be part of these transitions, but also as embedded in local social, political and spatial relations. Examining how energy practices go hand-in-hand with the dissemination of different technologies, this work shows the complexities of achieving sustainability in the context of rapidly changing energy modernities in Southeast Asia.

Asian and European countries have adopted different approaches to the conflicting priorities of economic growth and low carbon emissions. In this volume – based on the revised versions of papers presented at the 24th International Euro-Asia Research Conference held in 2019 – the contrasts between the schools of thought of each continent are explored thoroughly. Ranging from topics as diverse as city logistics, shareholder value and management practices, the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, Chinas geopolitical insights, sustainable agricultural development in India and the empowerment of women in Vietnam via microfinance, this book addresses sustainable development policies in China and Southeast Asia from many different perspectives.

In 2010, we can expect that oil and gas prices will again increase beyond the US$100 per barrel, as the global economy recovers gradually from the global recession and uses more oil and gas. It is therefore important for the general public to read and understand more about complex energy issues which affect their lives. This useful energy book, based on lectures delivered at the ISEAS Energy Forum, as well as papers written by invited experts, provides a means to access energy information. It is part of the ISEAS Energy books series which serves to educate and raise public awareness on energy issues."e;As the author of The Grand Energy Transition (GET), I am naturally interested in energy books which discuss renewable energy and electric vehicles. The Grand Energy Transition shows us how to accelerate the transition to the sustainable energy gases of natural gas, wind, solar and hydrogen. What is clear is that we cannot continue with business as usual. It is imperative that energy consumption patterns should immediately begin to change dramatically. For this to happen, the public must be kept informed and mobilized. One excellent tool for public education is the ISEAS energy book with its wealth of information and which covers a wide range of energy issues. I appreciate ISEAS' good work done via the energy seminars and books, and I commend this book as an important read on energy issues."e; - Robert A. Hefner III, Founder, The GHK Company."e;The issues of environment, climate change and energy continue to feature prominently on the international agenda. There is clearly a higher level of public awareness and debate. The Copenhagen Conference focuses global attention on global warming and the rise in sea level, and provides opportunity to take a step towards transition to a low-carbon economy. Shell is working on energy and environmental issues, and continues to contribute resources, technology and skills to these global challenges. This ISEAS energy volume is timely, and a comprehensive in-depth analysis and recounting of the facts and challenges."e; - Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman, Shell Companies in Singapore

This sector assessment, strategy, and road map highlights the Government of Viet Nam's plans and strategies for addressing priority needs for the financial sector and identifies possible preliminary areas of international assistance. It assesses key sector development needs by analyzing strengths, constraints and weaknesses, various risks, potential threats, as well as opportunities. This knowledge product serves as a basis for further dialogue on how the Asian Development Bank and the government can work together to tackle the challenges of managing financial sector development in Viet Nam in the coming years.

This book discusses how people can come together to address current energy justice and access poverty problems by examining the relationship between energy systems and society in diverse energy sources. The novelty of this book is that this is the only complete guide for readers who wish to understand the status of Indonesia’s energy transition and renewable energy development. Energy programs that are explored are the ones prioritized by government administrations, including coal, nuclear power, solar energy, green electricity, and geothermal energy. Based on extensive fieldwork and empirical data, the book combines insights from historical data on energy subsidies and economic diversification, current empirical data on social acceptance of new energy technologies, and contemporary studies that forecast the implications of the transition to the coal industry and fossil fuel subsidies. It asks how Indonesia has enacted policies that support energy transition. How do the public and civil society view those policies? What are the implications for broader themes and discussions on energy sources, technology, systems, policies, and service? Strategies are suggested to advance a sustainable transition in the developing world that will mitigate developmental risks associated with the transition away from fossil fuels while encouraging decision making in a sustainable and socially just manner. This book is an informative and engaging read for a general audience as well as a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and students in environmental and energy studies.

The SME Policy Index is a benchmarking tool for emerging economies to monitor and evaluate progress in policies that support small and medium-sized enterprises.

Climate change is a global concern of special relevance to Southeast Asia, a region that is both vulnerable to the effects of climate change and a rapidly increasing emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This study focuses on five countries of Southeast Asia that collectively account for 90% of regional GHG emissions in recent years---Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. It applies two global dynamic economy–energy–environment models under an array of scenarios that reflect potential regimes for regulating global GHG emissions through 2050. The modeling identifies the potential economic costs of climate inaction for the region, how the countries can most efficiently achieve GHG emission mitigation, and the consequences of mitigation, both in terms of benefits and costs. Drawing on the modeling results, the study analyzes climate-related policies and identifies how further action can be taken to ensure low-carbon growth.