Southeast Asia is a region advantageously endowed with abundant natural resources.
Various environmental conditions, however, are currently in a state of deterioration. The
region is threatened by the effects of climate change and severe weather conditions,
such as rising sea levels, decreasing rainfall, and the occurrence of other environmental
problems. Due to the region’s diverse geographic and climatic conditions, the region
confronts various types of natural disasters, ranging from storms, floods, and droughts,
to landslides and wildfires, and to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These disasters
pose enormous risks to the physical, social, economic, cultural and other existential
stakes of ASEAN countries. Southeast Asia’s fast changing human and developmental
conditions like rapid urbanization, population growth, and various less sustainable
socioeconomic activities all make it one of the more vulnerable regions to natural
disasters.