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The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XII, 2020

Climate Change and Inequality in Southeast Asia:

Review, Prospects, Priorities 1

Chris Baker

Abstract
In the early research and debates on climate change, Southeast Asia
was peripheral. The first regional study by the UN in 2014 revealed the lack
of basic data and limited scope of research on the region. Since 2015, the
situation has changed because of the increase in extreme weather events
in the region and scientific realization that the atmospheric effects of climate
change will be most intense near the equator. The UN proposes that the
poorest will be worst hit by climate change, but is constrained in its analysis
of the political mechanisms. Climate change will intensify existing stresses
in the region, including social inequalities, over-exploitation of resources,

and political conflicts. People will react to stress by migration, especially to
mega-cities. Governments should place a priority on greening cities, improving
the facilities for managing humanitarian crises, and advancing knowledge
on the region’s weather.

Keywords: climate change, Southeast Asia, extreme weather, politics, migration

1 An earlier version of this article was presented at a symposium on “Climate Change, Natural
Disaster, and Security in Southeast Asia: How can we protect our lives and societies?” at Kyushu
University, Fukuoka, 11 September 2019.

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