After a military coup in Myanmar, the threat of climate change has grown

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Fears that the military may expand resource exploitation to shore up finances, putting one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries at peril.

As the generals who took power in a coup on February 1 focus on strengthening their rule and shoring up their position by stepping up lucrative but destructive methods of exploiting the country's huge natural wealth, there is growing worry that Myanmar could face a catastrophic environmental crisis.

 

Myanmar, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, is one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate catastrophe, with deadly floods and landslides, as well as drought, compounded by decades of unregulated deforestation and mineral and gem mining.

Along with Puerto Rico and Haiti, the Southeast Asian country has suffered the most weather-related losses during the last 20 years.

However, Aung San Suu Kyi's government's tentative efforts to explore additional renewable energy projects and promote climate resilience have been undermined since the military deposed her National League for Democracy-led government on February 1, stopping aid programmes and driving private investors away.

 

Due to the coup, developers who were won a solar power tender last year — totaling over 1GW, or one-third of Myanmar's current dry season usable capacity of 3.1GW — were unable to deliver.

The military published its own solar power tender in May, but due to a lack of bids, the deadline was extended three times.
The most recent deadline was in mid-October, but no official results have yet been released.

The challenges that solar power companies face reflect the greater risk that Myanmar would miss out on climate funding opportunities following the coup.

 

"There are good investable projects in Myanmar that will build climate resilience, such as natural reforestation and renewable energy projects," said Vicky Bowman, the director of the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business in Yangon and a former British ambassador to Myanmar.
"However, since the coup, development partners have been frozen, and private sector investors have instinctively viewed Myanmar as a high-risk investment, looking for alternatives in Southeast Asia, despite the fact that climate investments there may have just as many problems in practise as Myanmar."

 

Bowman told Al Jazeera that investors should understand that there are still chances to partner with local communities and businesses to invest in natural capital and climate resilience.
"Apart from that, the Myanmar people face a double whammy of military rule and international apathy."

Myanmar's absence from the world's top climate talks at COP26 in Glasgow this month reflected the country's international isolation as a result of the coup, as well as the ongoing battle for recognition between the coup leaders and the National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel administration that includes officials from the overthrown elected government.

[Denim]

All very sad.

 

Juntas and autocrats all over the world must take heart from what has happened in Burma.

 

If these parasitic types can just weather the storm of internal and external protests and denunciations , arrest and incarcerate all dissenters ,then they can see that eventually people get worn down into diminished action and general loss of interest.