In a recent important public opinion survey, over 70% of the people in Southeast Asia expressed their support for the national carbon tax, demonstrating the region's strong willingness to address climate change and promote green transformation. According to the "2024 Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey" released by the Yusof Ishak Southeast Asia Institute in Singapore on September 17, 70.4% of respondents support the implementation of a carbon tax policy by the country, an increase of 2.4 percentage points compared to last year.

The survey results show that Southeast Asian countries generally have high support for carbon taxes, with Vietnam leading with 75% support, followed closely by Indonesia (73.5%) and the Philippines (72.1%). It is worth noting that Indonesia and Singapore, as two countries that have implemented carbon tax policies, have vastly different attitudes among their citizens. Indonesian citizens have a high level of support for carbon taxes, while Singapore has as many as 20% of respondents expressing opposition, making it one of the countries with the lowest support rates for this policy, along with Brunei (23.3%) and Cambodia (20.7%) in the opposition camp.

Since 2019, Singapore has imposed a carbon tax on companies with annual carbon emissions exceeding 25000 metric tons. The tax rate has been increasing year by year, with plans to reach a standard of 50 to 80 yuan per metric ton by 2030. Indonesia will impose a carbon tax on coal-fired power plants starting from 2022, with a tax rate of approximately SGD 2.53 per metric ton. This difference reflects the different steps taken by different countries in implementing carbon tax policies and their impact on public perception.

Although the carbon tax policy has gained widespread public support in Southeast Asia, the survey also revealed differences among the public on another carbon reduction measure - the cancellation of fuel subsidies. Only 46.8% of respondents support the cancellation of fuel subsidies, while 13.1% of the public explicitly oppose it, and 34.1% express uncertainty. Opponents are mainly concerned that canceling subsidies will lead to an increase in energy and food prices, thereby exacerbating poverty and social inequality. They pointed out that the reduction of fuel subsidies may cause direct economic pressure on the lower classes.

However, scholars generally believe that carbon taxes and the cancellation of fuel subsidies are complementary carbon reduction measures, and both are indispensable. Charmaine Sheh from the Yusof Isa Institute for Southeast Asian Studies pointed out that carbon tax and the cancellation of fuel subsidies are like "two sides of the same coin", requiring joint efforts from the government and society to promote them in the same direction. She emphasized that the government should strengthen effective communication of policies, improve transparency, clarify the direction of subsidy and carbon tax funds, in order to enhance public support.

On the road to addressing climate change, Southeast Asian countries are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Thailand and Malaysia have recently reduced diesel subsidies to alleviate their financial burden, while Indonesia is also considering adjusting its fuel subsidy policy to support a new economic stimulus plan. Although these measures have to some extent sparked public backlash and protests, the government still needs to have a firm determination to promote the smooth progress of green transformation through effective communication and policy guidance.