The Asean Way and Haze Mitigation Efforts

Abstract

Transboundary haze pollution is an almost annual occurrence in Southeast Asia. Haze originates from peat and forest fires mostly in Indonesia, with Malaysia and Singapore suffering the worst of its effects. Most of these fires are manmade, and linked to land clearing activities of local and foreign commercial oil palm plantations. The regional nature of haze has concentrated mitigation activities at the ASEAN level. However these initiatives continually fail to effectively mitigate haze. This article argues that haze mitigation has been problematic due to the ASEAN style of regional engagement, which prioritizes the maintenance of national sovereignty. States are compelled to act in their national interests, as opposed to the collective regional interests. The economic importance of the oil palm sector to the states involved, coupled with traditionally close relationships between key economic actors and political elites, meant that the maintenance of the status quo, where major plantation companies could continue to clear land using the cost-effective method of burning, was of crucial national interest. Therefore, the ASEAN style of regional engagement has enabled member states to shape ASEAN initiatives to preserve the interests of these political and economic elite, while the public continue to suffer the haze.

The Trajectory and Trend of International Political Economy in Southeast Asia

“…At its worst, lesser effects of the haze have also been reported in Brunei and Southern parts of Thailand and the Philippines (Mayer, 2006). The phenomena cannot be separated from the globalization of the agribusiness sector in the region, particularly in the palm oil sector (Varkkey, 2020). The increasing global and domestic demands for oil palm as "flex crops" (i.e., crops that have multiple uses) have made some countries in Southeast Asia, notably Indonesia and Malaysia, prefer palm oil as their priority crop (Cramb & McCarthy, 2016).…”

“…One of the questions raised by students of international politics has been why ASEANas a platform for regional environmental governance-has not effectively addressed the fire and haze problems. This issue has been discussed at the ASEAN level since the late 1980s, which resulted in several policies, action plans, and a legally binding agreement to mitigate the haze (e.g., the 2002 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution), but the haze episodes have been-in varying intensities-a recurring problem annually until present times (Varkkey, 2020). Some scholars blame the model of ASEAN cooperation-the "ASEAN way" --as the culprit of this ineffectiveness.…”

“…Other scholars are not satisfied with this explanation. Varkkey (2020), for example, argues that the ineffectiveness of ASEAN haze mitigation efforts is due…”

Paradox of Asean Way in Marine Plastic Pollution: The Challenge of Compliance Among Member States

“…This illustrates the essence of the ASEAN model of regionalism, where Member States drive the decisionmaking process. This model allows them to shape regionalism in ASEAN according to their national interests, enabling flexibility in adhering to ASEAN Way norms (Varkkey 2020).…”

The Implementation of Project Based Learning to Enhance Students' Understanding of Environmental Conservation and Disaster Mitigation

“…Mitigation efforts are a way to reduce disaster risk (Pancasilawan et al, 2020;Varkkey, 2012). Pancasilawan et al (2020) suggested that mitigation efforts can generally be divided into two activities: structural approaches and non-structural mitigation.…”