Underinvestment in climate adaptation in Asia Pacific could lead to growing populism, societal polarisation, social unrest and conflict, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned.
Speaking at the launch of a new report, Making our Future: New Directions for Human Development in Asia and the Pacific, Philip Schellekens, UNDP’s chief economist, said that climate shocks could lead to rising inequality and “fan the flames of polarisation” in countries across the region. Deteriorating social cohesion as the planet warms could in turn limit the political space for climate action.
The report noted that Southeast Asia is experiencing an erosion of democracy and limiting of public and civic spaces to a degree last seen in the late 1970s, which threatens the region’s capacity to tackle climate change.