Southeast Asia unlocks its carbon trading potential

Governments working at pace to create compliance and voluntary markets and carbon tax regimes, with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore among the frontrunners

Southeast Asia is on the cusp of unlocking its largely untapped potential as a global hub for carbon trading. Several countries in the region have established or are considering regulatory frameworks for carbon pricing, with the aim of creating credits for domestic and international trading. Southeast Asia has one of the most valuable investable carbon stocks in the world, as it is home to 5% of the planet’s forests and one-third of its coastal and marine environments, according to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The region’s carbon markets could be worth as much as $3t by mid-century, creating up to 13.7m new jobs and reducing CO₂ emissions by 1.1bt/yr, according to a jo