Research On ASEAN Climate Governance From The Perspective Of Multilevel Governance

Climate change is now a global issue that urgently needs to be addressed by the international community and all parties in the region.Southeast Asia is widely regarded as one of the regions which are most vulnerable to impacts such as rapid climate change and extreme weather.As a political,economic and security integration organization in Southeast Asia,ASEAN aims to effectively safeguard regional interests and play an important role in global climate governance.The multilevel governance theory provides a flexible conceptual framework for climate change cooperation,and it can explain the cooperation of different actors in climate change from the perspectives of multilevel and pluralistic participants.After delving deep into the current situation of ASEAN climate governance based on multilevel governance,it can be found that ASEAN's climate governance presents two distinctive characteristics.On the one hand,climate governance and cooperation at the supra-national,national and sub-national levels have emerged in the ASEAN region.On the other hand,based on public-private interaction,the ASEAN region has formed a climate governance network consisting of actors including governments,non-governmental organizations,scientists,enterprises and citizens.ASEAN's multilevel climate governance has now developed a governance pattern dominated by ASEAN institutions,with active participation of member states and coordinated participation of local governments.Nowadays,ASEAN's capability of adapting to climate change has improved,which is mainly reflected by the increase of green investment,the growing willingness of member states to participate in climate governance,and the improvement of international right of speech in climate issues.However,as what is hinted by the linear upward trend of its greenhouse gas emissions,ASEAN's climate governance has also displayed drawbacks such as unreasonable institutional settings,insufficient participants in governance,and incompatibility between governance willingness and capability.Through analyzing the theory under the context of the current governance situation,future multilevel climate governance in ASEAN could be strengthened mainly in economic,political and cultural areas.First,ASEAN should further innovate and develop green finance to promote sustainable development.Second,ASEAN should actively respond to climate change and deepen regional coordination and cooperation.Third,ASEAN ought to attach more importance to its science and education development and enhance its comprehensive governance capabilities.