NEAT Working Group on“Toward Carbon Neutrality in East Asia”

Final ReportTokyo
26th July 2022

1. Background
Under the Paris Agreement, the goal is holding the increase in the global average temperature towell below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to
1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
In East Asia, all the countries have already submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs), and 7 countries also submitted their long-term low greenhouse gas emissions development
strategies (LT-LEDS).
Last December, Parties adopted the Glasgow Climate Pact, aiming to turn the 2020s into a decadeof climate action and support in COP26, and the Pact notes with serious concern the findings of thesynthesis report on NDCs under the Paris Agreement, according to which the aggregate greenhousegas emission level, taking into account implementation of all submitted NDCs, is estimated to be 13.7
per cent above the 2010 level in 2030. Therefore, the Pact requests Parties to revisit and strengthen the2030 targets in their NDCs as necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the endof 2022, taking into account different national circumstances. In addition, the Pact urges Parties thathave not yet done so to communicate LT-LEDS towards just transitions to net zero emissions by oraround mid-century by COP27, taking into account different national circumstances, and also
welcomes Parties to communicate new or updated NDCs, LT-LEDS and other actions that demonstrateprogress towards achievement of the Paris Agreement temperature goal.
In East Asia, the situation of each country is different in their efforts to achieve carbon neutrality,
including the re-setting of NDCs, and the region should further cooperate and collaborate with eachother. Therefore, this WG aims to share the efforts of ASEAN plus Three (APT) countries’ NDCs andLT-LEDS development, elaborate the contents of each country’s strategy, and explore what kind ofcooperation is possible in the region.

2. Discussion Points
The WG meeting consists of two sessions. For the session on how LT-LEDS can be formulated,the questions for the discussions are as follows.
•What kind of formulating process and characteristics should LT-LEDS have in order to best
promote alignment with the achievement of your country’s sustainable development goals?

•How could the process of formulating LT-LEDS be structured in order to best promote1alignment with near- and mid-term planning on climate change?
•What contents of LT-LEDS should have in order to best promote alignment with near- andmid-term planning on climate change?

•

Whether and to what extent should adaptation be incorporated in LT-LEDS? What pros andcons of including adaptation in LT-LEDS could be?

•

What are the major difficulties for your country to formulate LT-LED? What are the needs
for technical support and capacity building to overcome these difficulties?

•The discussion points for the other session on how LT-LEDS can be effectively implementedare listed as below.

•

What experiences and/or lessons may be learnt from the formulation and publication of yourcountry’s LT-LEDS?

•

What is your view on the advantages and disadvantages of LT-LEDS issued by yourcountry?

•How has LT-LEDS actually been implemented in your country? How will its progress bemonitored, evaluated and updated?

•

What are the main challenges for implementing LT-LEDS?

•

What kind of impact does the formulation and implementation of LT-LEDS have in yourcountry?

3. Discussions at the Working Group meeting
Experts from APT member think tanks and the sponsoring organization, the Japan Forum onInternational Relations (JFIR), took part in the working group meeting online on 26 July 2022, which
was organized with two sessions.
The theme of session I is “How can LT-LEDS be formulated”. The speakers from Japan, Vietnam,
Cambodia and Laos shared the information on their countries’ efforts in the development and updateof NDCs, and the latest policy actions on climate change. The discussions in session I are summarized
as follows.
•The importance of LT-LEDS is addressed. To formulate LT-LEDS is necessary for a country
to develop its national target toward carbon neutrality considering the country’s specificcontext for jointly achieving the global goal under the Paris Agreement. LT-LEDS canprovide direction and strong signals for the decision making of businesses and actions taken
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by local governments from the long-term view. It is useful for the planning andimplementation of NDCs in a cost-effective manner.
•Key ministries, sub-national government, private sector, NGOs and general public should
participate in the process for formulating LT-LEDS. In order to mobilize the large
involvement of various stakeholders, political leadership at the country’s top level isessential.

•To keep the alignment of NDCs with long-term target should be a basic principle for theformulation of LT-LEDS.

•In terms of the contents, LT-LEDS should give a clear timeline for the achievement of netzero emissions, and describe the policies and actions by sectors with priorities in the shortand medium term.

•Although LT-LEDS usually focuses on mitigation, adaptation should be also included dueto the unavoidable climate risks and the needs for maximizing the synergy between
mitigation and adaptation.

•LT-LEDS should be regularly reviewed and updated as in necessary, i.e., every 5 or 6 years.

•Insufficient data availability, time constraint, lack of technical and financial resources anddifficulty in scenario setting were pointed out as the challenges for the formulation of LTLEDS, especially in the developing Asian countries with lower income. The financing andtechnology support mechanism was mentioned as a key issue for the developing countries
to enhance their NDCs in line with LT-LEDS.

The theme of Session II was “How can LT-LEDS be effectively implemented”. Speakers fromChina, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and Republic of Korea presented their views onthe discussion points.
•Regional cooperation such as cross-border power grid interconnections can help some APT
countries to shift toward decarbonized energy systems.

•Adaptation is one of the important components of LT-LEDS. Adaptation would be the area
where APT countries can cooperate and accelerate the implementation of LT-LEDS.

•The experience of formulating and implementing a LT-LEDS indicates that consultation
among key stakeholders including industries is crucial to enhancing their better
understanding and ownership, thereby contributing to effective implementation of LT-LEDS.

•Translating key principles and directions of LT-LEDS into sectoral action plans is also
crucial to effective implementation, but simultaneously poses challenges. Consultation and3

involvement of key line ministries are essential.
•For the effective implementation of LT-LEDS, showing the direction alone is not adequate.
Securing multiple public funding and mobilising private finance is also important.

4. Policy Recommendations
Based on the discussions above, the Working Group on “Toward Carbon Neutrality in East Asia”
summarized the following policy recommendations.
•In spite of a large variety in the economic development level, social condition and resource
endowment, APT governments, which have not yet done, should formulate LT-LEDS at theearliest to define their pathways toward carbon neutrality by or around mid-century, as wellas to set policy agenda for achieving the aligned mitigation targets in medium term, thereby
sending strong signals to the market and society.

•In order to strengthen capacity for LT-LEDS formulation, APT countries should enhance
experience sharing and mutual learning, and strengthen the capability for integrated modelling
analysis to create scientific basis for scenario setting and emission pathway development.

•In order to promote the awareness and ownership of various stakeholders, APT governments
should enhance the involvement of related ministries, local governments, businesses, NGOs
and general public in the process of LT-LEDS formulation. A national consultative process
among various sectors and stakeholders should be applied to strengthen the existing
institutional arrangement and transparency of climate policy framework.

•APT governments should take advantage of diversity in the region in order to promote
regional cooperation in the pursuit of raising climate ambition and practices. In particular, thethree large economies in Northeast Asia, including Japan, China and Republic of Korea, may
provide experiences and technical assistance for the formulation and implementation of LTLEDS in the developing countries of Southeast Asia.

[END]

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List of Participants
Cambodia
Vichetratha Khlok
Deputy Director of the Department of Climate ChangeChina
Ding Shineng
Deputy Director of China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center/
Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center of Ministry Ecology and Environment

Indonesia
Moekti Handajani Soejachmoen
Co-founder and Executive Director of Indonesia Research Institute for Decarbonization(IRID)Japan[WG Members]*Director of the WG
TAMURA Kentaro*
Programme Director,
Climate and Energy Area, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
Xianbing LIU
Research Reader,
Climate and Energy Area, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies[The Japan Forum on International Relations]
WATANABE Mayu
President, JFIRKIKUCHI Yona
Director and Senior Research Fellow, JFIR

Korea
Jun Hyun Park
Senior Researcher
Global Cooperation Team, Department of Planning and Strategy,
Korea Environment Institute5

Laos
Bae PHEAXAY
Vice dean of Faculty of Environmental Sciences, NUOL

Philippines
Sonny Domingo
Senior Research Fellow, Philippine Institute for Development Studies

Singapore
Chen Gang
Senior Research Fellow of the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore

VietnamNguyen Anh Tuan
Deputy Director-General of the Institute of Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies,
Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

In Alphabetical Order of Country Name

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