Why forests and farming are critical climate solutions in Southeast Asia

At the same time, Southeast Asia is at greater risk of economic losses from climate change than other regions of the world. If climate change isn’t addressed, countries in the region are at risk of losing more than 35% of their gross domestic product due to changes to temperature, precipitation patterns, and natural hazards, with repercussions for agriculture and other key sectors.

In our new report, A Drawdown Roadmap for Food, Agriculture, and Land Use in Southeast Asia, we outline a science-based portfolio of actions – detailing exactly what is needed, when and where, to maximize the impact of climate action in the 11 countries in the region. 

In the report, we analyze data from multiple sources to distill the most impactful climate solutions in different locations across the region. We highlight hotspots for immediate action – places that have disproportionately high emissions with the greatest potential for emissions reduction per land area. We found many instances of what we call “80:20 rules,” in which we could expect to get roughly 80% of the benefits – in this case, emissions reductions – by focusing on 20% of the area. Targeted interventions in these hotspots can yield the highest return on investment for investors, philanthropists, and other stakeholders looking to address climate change. 

We found that protecting forests, mangroves, and peatlands has the greatest potential to reduce emissions in 76% of provinces across Southeast Asia. Using up-to-date satellite data, we highlighted the hotspots of deforestation and land use change over the past decade. Although forested peatlands cover a small area, emissions from their conversion are higher per hectare than forests on mineral soils.

Peatlands are like immense underground warehouses for storing carbon. These waterlogged soils contain layers and layers of carbon-rich, partially decomposed plant material in their depths. And Southeast Asia is home to over half the world’s peatlands. Every hectare of peatland protected saves, on average, 2,010 tons of CO₂ emissions. This is compared to the roughly 650 tons of carbon saved for every hectare of tropical forest protected. Focused protection of 20% of peatland area on Java and Kalimantan in Indonesia and in parts of Malaysia can reduce emissions by 390 million tons CO₂‑eq a year, roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of the United Kingdom. 

In some provinces within Vietnam and Thailand, improving rice management on farms has the greatest potential to cut emissions. Most rice production takes place in flooded fields called paddies, where oxygen-poor conditions trigger methane production. Rice paddies in the river deltas of Vietnam are among the highest-emitting farms in the world, as continuous flooding and multiple growing seasons each year generate significant methane emissions. Allowing rice paddies to drain at least once per growing season (a process known as non-continuous flooding) can reduce emissions in the region by 64 million tons CO₂‑eq , without reducing yields. We analyzed subnational statistics of crop yields, methane emissions, and fertilizer use and found that improving rice cultivation, primarily with non-continuous flooding, on 20% of Vietnam’s fields could achieve 60% of possible emissions reductions.

Given its economic reliance on farming and its outsized emissions from food production and deforestation, Southeast Asia is well-positioned to serve as a proving ground for implementing a wide range of climate solutions in the land use sector. Climate solutions highlighted in our report have the potential to address emissions in a way that enhances climate resilience, improves farmer livelihoods, and improves environmental sustainability – all without jeopardizing crop yields and nutrition. 

Read the full report, A Drawdown Roadmap for Food, Agriculture, and Land Use in Southeast Asia, here.

Emily Cassidy is an environmental scientist and writer, with expertise in agriculture, ecology, and land use. As a research associate at Project Drawdown, Emily evaluates the emissions mitigation potential of climate solutions in the food system.

James Gerber, PhD, is a data scientist with expertise in agriculture and land use, modeling of crop yield futures, and ocean wave energy. He uses various analytic techniques to assess the effectiveness of climate mitigation solutions in the land use sector and their impacts on human well-being.

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