A high degree of political will is one of several pre-conditions needed for good environmental management, said Kim DeRidder, Regional Director for Environmental Programs at the Asia Foundation. He spoke at a round-table on Advancing Environmental Governance Across Asia hosted by the Asia Foundation. While he emphasized the need to promote political will within Asia, he questioned whether the bold pledges that some Asian countries made in the Paris Agreement, such as the Philippines’ pledge to reduce emissions by 70 percent by 2030 and Indonesia by 26 percent, were realistic given the significant disconnect between what a country claims it is going to do and what it can actually do.

South Korea’s One Less Nuclear Power Plant campaign demonstrates the potential of political will. After the disastrous Fukushima nuclear plant failure, South Korea responded quickly with “strong political leadership, strong public and private sector engagement, and many policy and fiscal incentives,” DeRidder said. This precise response reduced Seoul’s energy demand by 2 million tons of oil, equivalent to one nuclear power plant, six months ahead of schedule. While South Korea’s success may suggest that political will can be a tool for effective resource management, this type of political will is still missing from most Asian countries because “climate change is still too abstract for these countries,” said DeRidder. A study conducted in Indonesia, for example, highlighted the unwillingness of some governments to stray away from a “business as usual” model of energy production. The study found “very significant vested interest in the status quo,” said DeRidder, as it uncovered that several members of government were financially invested in the coal industry.

So, how do we build this essential political will? With the increasing impacts from climate change, DeRidder said that the “presence of a threat, trust-based relationships, champions from all sectors of society, flexible funding [or adaptive management], gender sensitivity, and small grants,” will help countries build the political will to deal with the critical issues of energy demand, resource management, and climate resiliency.

Trust-based relationships and a gendered approach are especially important, said DeRidder. To cultivate real relationships, or personal relationships, it is important to bring together stakeholders in a “neutral, fair and transparent way.” This type of relationship building should involve long-term projects that are supported by the local community. Regarding gender, the tradition of consulting primarily male leaders and spokesmen leads to an incomplete picture. In contrast, more comprehensive solutions will depend on getting a more holistic view of reality—something that can be achieved if you look at environmental problems “through the eyes of the women involved,” said DeRidder.

This discussion of political will begs the question: Where exactly does governance come into play? While robust governance is not a required precursor to political will. DeRidder conceded that “environmental problems generally come from governance issues, most commonly involving the nexus between political leadership, technical capacity, interagency collaboration, and multi-stakeholder engagement.” While poor governance exacerbates environmental degradation, DeRidder said that promoting political will increase the international community’s prospects for maneuvering around stagnant governments to address these crucial environmental issues.   

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