ASEAN: The EV Initiative

The ASEAN (Association of Southeastern Asian Nations) summit on May 9th brought forth some very interesting solutions to very pressing issues facing Southeast Asia and the world today. One of these very pressing issues being that of climate change. Southeastern Asia as a whole relies on fossil fuels such as coal, which contributes to the region’s greenhouse gas output. This cycle, if left unchanged, would only bolster global warming as a whole and would further propel the world into a more severe climate crisis. That is why in recent years, steps have been taken to help stop the current issue in Southeastern Asia from progressing. For example, the USAID’s (United States Agency for International Development) Mekong For the Future Initiative is currently working toward enhancing civil coordination across the Mekong region to engage meaningfully in policy development as well as increasing advocacy for the fighting of climate change. This means addressing the current oversight in the region as well as providing clean energy alternatives to the farmers of the region in order to preserve the vital rivers of the area. The project’s four main focuses are the regional integration of renewable energy, helping the resilient rivers of the Mekong region adapt to climate change, investing in transboundary infrastructure (infrastructure that is minimally invasive to areas of nature that sit on the boundary of two territories), and creating a civic space to address shared regional governance issues. Much like this previous solution, the one that President Biden introduced at this year’s ASEAN summit addresses the issue of carbon emissions through the use of fossil fuel powered transportation and infrastructure.

The EV (Electric Vehicle) Initiative as a whole is dedicated to the minimization of carbon emissions in the Southeastern Asia region through the creation of EV infrastructure as well as assisting the nations in the region with the production and usage of EVs. The Biden Administration plans to assist the nations in the region by pledging over 7 Billion USD to the production of EV batteries as well over 10 Billion USD to clean transit and school buses in the region. This solution will not only help fight climate change, but it has been projected to bolster the US economy and the local economies of the nations that the Initiative is directed toward. This economic growth will come in the form of increased exports from the US as well as the increase in production jobs available in those regions. As a whole, the solution seems very cut and dry. By moving a region away from fossil fuels and toward green energy, emissions are minimised and progression of climate change is slowed. However, there are a few things that are concerning in this proposed solution. Assuming that the US is playing a direct role in the exporting of EV related goods to the Southeastern Asia region, the question of what transportation the US will use to move the goods arises. The likelihood that fossil fuel powered freighters will be used is very high, and so the concern of whether these new emissions will be offset by the EV solution presents itself. One solution for this problem might be to put the EV shipments on ships already headed to the region, preventing this from occurring. Another concern that arises from the initiative is the production of EV batteries. Lithium mining (much like all other mining) releases a lot of GHGs (greenhouse gases) in its process, so this increase in industrial mining might also prove to be a greater cost than the EV implementation can cover. Finally, another issue that must be considered in the new approach that President Biden proposed is the factor of E-Waste. When EVs are disposed of, the lithium batteries that are left in landfills and dumps are horrible for the environment. With this in mind, the question of whether or not these batteries are worth it arises. The EV Initiative has the potential to fix a region’s reliance on fossil fuels, but certain gaps in the solutions that it provides have the potential to nullify all progress this would make. Therefore, it is important to consider all ramifications of this initiative, and try to address all consequences as they happen through the use of foresight.