Science diplomacy as a conceptual bridge: a framework for enhancing the implementation of the Asean agreement on transboundary haze pollution
Keywords:
AATHP, science diplomacy, transboundary haze pollution, neorealism, regionalism, environmental governanceAbstract
Despite two decades of multilateral effort, the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) has failed to produce the tangible outcomes its architects envisioned. The persistent failure to operationalise the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACCTHPC) reveals a deeper problem that legal text alone cannot resolve: the collision between regional environmental governance and entrenched norms of national sovereignty. This paper presents a conceptual framework that underpins a qualitative study through document analysis, investigating three interrelated problems: the political factors shaping AATHP negotiations, the barriers ASEAN Member States (AMS) face in using scientific knowledge, and the potential of science diplomacy as a governing logic for future deliberations. Drawing on two theoretical traditions, neorealism and regionalism, the framework situates the AATHP within the structural tensions of ASEAN's consensus-based and non-interference architecture. This paper then suggests science diplomacy as a conceptual bridge to reconcile those tensions by embedding scientific expertise in the diplomatic process. Evidence from the Arctic Council, the European Union's S4D4C programme, and national science diplomacy strategies in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany is examined to substantiate the feasibility of this approach. The paper concludes by outlining how the proposed framework could yield a practical guideline for integrating science diplomacy into AATHP negotiations, thereby contributing to both international relations theory and regional environmental governance practice.
References
Arctic Council. (1996). Declaration on the establishment of the Arctic Council: Ottawa declaration.
Arctic Council. (2020). Arctic Council working groups. https://arctic-council.org
ASEAN Secretariat. (2022). Final review of the roadmap on ASEAN cooperation towards transboundary haze pollution control.
ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre. (2023). Hotspot monitoring report 2020–2023. ASEAN Secretariat.
Aukes, E., et al. (2019). Making the case for science diplomacy [Policy brief]. S4D4C.
Baldwin, D. A. (1985). Economic statecraft. Princeton University Press.
Balsiger, J., & VanDeveer, S. D. (2012). Navigating regional environmental governance. Global Environmental Politics, 12(3), 1–17.
Bang, Y., Ha, E., Oh, J., Hong, Y.-C., Lim, Y.-H., & Kim, H. (2026). Effectiveness of air pollution reduction policies and financial accessibility in ASEAN countries. Environmental Research Communications, 8, Article 015027. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ae322a
Berkman, P. (2020). Science diplomacy and its engine of informed decision-making: Operating through our global pandemic with humanity. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 15, 435–450. https://doi.org/10.1163/1871191X-BJA10034
Berkman, P. (2023). Science diplomacy with diplomatic relations to facilitate common interest building. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10971-3_33
Berkman, P. A., & Young, O. R. (2009). Governance and environmental change in the Arctic Ocean. Science, 324(5925), 339–340.
Boonprong, S., Satapanajaru, T., Khantachawana, A., Zhang, W., Varnakovida, P., & Rattana-amornpirom, O. (2026). Long-term cross-border PM2.5 transport coupling in Southeast Asia, 2003–2024. Atmosphere, 17(6), Article 587. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos17060587
Bose, S. K. (2026). Environmental federalism and multi-level governance coordination in Southeast Asia: A comparative empirical analysis of five ASEAN economies. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(1), 1170–1186. https://doi.org/10.56879/ijbm.v5i1.61
Cerioli, L. (2024). Neoclassical realism, global international relations, and the unheard echoes of realist practices from the South. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 27(1), 369–386. https://doi.org/10.1177/13691481241230858
Chong, A., & Schacherer, S. (2025). Extra-territorial liability and enforcement: Finding ways to tackle haze pollution in Southeast Asia. Chinese Journal of Transnational Law, 2(2), 198–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/2753412X251350527
CIFOR-ICRAF. (2023). Peatlands and fires in Southeast Asia: A stocktake of knowledge products. Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry. https://www.landscapealliance.org/knowledge/publication/31222/
Council for Science, Technology and Innovation. (2021). The 6th science and technology basic plan. Government of Japan.
Elliott, L. (2011). ASEAN and environmental governance: Rethinking networked regionalism in Southeast Asia. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 14, 61–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.03.023
European Commission. (2024). Science diplomacy. https://ec.europa.eu
Fähnrich, B. (2017). Science diplomacy: Investigating the perspective of scholars on politics–science collaboration in international affairs. Public Understanding of Science, 26(6), 688–703.
Fawcett, L. (2004). Exploring regional domains: A comparative history of regionalism. International Affairs, 80(3), 429–446. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2346.2004.00391.x
Fedoroff, N. (2009). Science diplomacy in the 21st century. Cell, 136(1), 9–11.
Fikri, M. (2022). Environmental agreement under the non-interference principle: The case of ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 22(1), 139–155.
Flink, T., & Rüffin, N. (2019). The current state of the art of science diplomacy. In D. Simon, S. Kuhlmann, W. Canzler, & J. Stamm (Eds.), Handbook on science and public policy (pp. 104–121). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Flink, T., & Schreiterer, U. (2010). Science diplomacy at the intersection of S&T policies and foreign affairs. Science and Public Policy, 37(9), 665–676.
Frontiers in Political Science. (2025). Network governance in ASEAN: Fostering regional cooperation and integration. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2025.1434595
Gluckman, P. D., Turekian, V., Grimes, R. W., & Kishi, T. (2017). Science diplomacy: A pragmatic perspective from the inside. Science & Diplomacy, 6(4).
Government of the UK. (2021). UK science and innovation networks. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Haas, P. M. (1992). Introduction: Epistemic communities and international policy coordination. International Organization, 46(1), 1–35.
Hall, P. A., & Taylor, R. C. R. (1996). Political science and the three new institutionalisms. Political Studies, 44(5), 936–957.
Hashemi Rafsanjani, W. A., Risma Saragih, H. J., Saputro, G. E., & Simbolon, L. (2026). Crafting regional identity and peace through the ASEAN Way in diplomacy (Version 2). F1000Research, 15, Article 621. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.179376.2
Heilmann, D. (2015). After Indonesia's ratification: The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution and its effectiveness as a regional environmental governance tool. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 34(3), 95–121.
Hurley, A., & Lee, T. (2020). Delayed ratification in environmental regimes: Indonesia's ratification of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. The Pacific Review, 34(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2020.1801816
Hurrell, A. (1995). Explaining the resurgence of regionalism in world politics. Review of International Studies, 21(4), 331–358.
Jaes, L., Rahman, R., Syamsuadi, A., & Safitri, K. I. (2026). Transglobal leadership as a framework for environmental policy diplomacy in addressing transboundary forest fire impacts: Evidence from Malaysia and Indonesia. Journal of Social Transformation and Regional Development, 8(1), 40–61. https://doi.org/10.30880/jstard.2026.08.01.004
Karim, M. (2025). Regionalism in international politics: A comparative analysis of ASEAN and the European Union. American Journal of Political Science and Leadership Studies, 2(3), 10–20.
Krasnyak, O., & Ruffini, P.-B. (2020). Science diplomacy. Oxford Bibliographies. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199743292-0277
Legrand, T., & Stone, D. (2018). Science diplomacy and transnational governance impact. British Politics, 13, 392–408. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41293-018-0082-z
López de San Román, A., & Schunz, S. (2018). Understanding European Union science diplomacy. Journal of Common Market Studies, 56(2), 247–266.
López-Aranguren, J.-L. (2023). Japan's science and technology diplomacy: Society 5.0 and its international projection. Communication & Society, 36(2), 225–239. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.36.2.225-239
Mayusa, A., Salingkat, S. P., & Molano, U. C. (2026). Environmental policy and public health: A systematic literature review in public administration perspective. Journal of Social Interactions and Humanities, 5(2), 159–178. https://doi.org/10.55927/jsih.v5i2.11
Meibauer, G. (2023). Neorealism, neoclassical realism and the problem(s) of history. International Relations, 37(2), 348–369. https://doi.org/10.1177/00471178211033943
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES), Malaysia. (2023). AATHP status report. Government of Malaysia.
Narine, S. (2002). Explaining ASEAN: Regionalism in Southeast Asia. Lynne Rienner.
Naz, U., & Irfan, M. (2025). Smog diplomacy: Strengthening Pakistan-India cooperation for transboundary air pollution. Journal of Climate and Community Development, 4(1), 55–65.
Nazeer, N., & Furuoka, F. (2017). Overview of ASEAN environment, transboundary haze pollution agreement and public health. International Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies, 13(1), 73–94.
Ng, B. K., & Mohd Zabidi, M. Z. (2023). Science diplomacy in Malaysia. Asian Research Policy, 14(1), 77–84.
Nguitragool, P. (2011). Environmental cooperation in Southeast Asia: ASEAN's regime for transboundary haze pollution. Routledge.
O'Neill, K. (2017). The environment and international relations. Cambridge University Press.
Periani, A., & Iskatrinah. (2025). Asap lintas batas dan kebakaran hutan: Pertanggungjawaban negara di hadapan ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution [Transboundary haze and forest fires: State accountability under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution]. Cakrawala Hukum, 27(1), 48–53.
Peteru, S., Dermawan, A., Silviana, S. H., & Brady, M. A. (2025). Revisiting the ASEAN response strategy to fire, smoke and haze (Infobrief No. 419). CIFOR-ICRAF. https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor-icraf/009359
Putra, B. A. (2025). The politics of environmental policy: Haze pollution, ASEAN, and the way forward. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 6, Article 1417746. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2024.1417746
Rüffin, N. (2020). EU science diplomacy in a contested space of multi-level governance: Ambitions, constraints and options for action. Research Policy, 49(1), Article 103903.
Ruffini, P.-B. (2017). Science and diplomacy: A new dimension of international relations. Springer International Publishing.
Rüland, A.-L., Rüffin, N., Cramer, K., Ngabonziza, P., Saxena, M., & Skupien, S. (2023). Science diplomacy from the Global South: The case of intergovernmental science organizations. Science and Public Policy, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scad024
Salazar, V. (2023). From practices to praxis: ASEAN's transnational climate governance networks as communities of practice. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 42(2), 190–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/18681034231167443
Setianingrum, E., & Muamanah. (2026). Efektivitas ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) dalam penyelesaian sengketa kabut asap antara Indonesia, Malaysia dan Singapura tahun 2025 [The effectiveness of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) as a dispute settlement mechanism in the 2025 transboundary haze case between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore]. Rewang Rencang: Jurnal Hukum Lex Generalis, 7(1), 1–17.
Sunchindah, A. (2015). Transboundary haze pollution problem in Southeast Asia: Reframing ASEAN's response (ERIA Discussion Paper No. DP-2015-82). Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia.
Syahrullah Barca, M. R. (2024). ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) sebagai upaya pengentasan kabut asap di Asia Tenggara: A literature review. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 21(3), 1910–1913.
Syed Azhar, S. N. F., Abdul Razak, I. A., & Ng, T. F. (2026). At the nexus of climate change and sustainable development: A review of high particulate events in Southeast Asia's agrarian heartland. Sustainability and Climate Change, 19(2), 92–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/26922932261439215
Turekian, V. C., et al. (2015). Evolving institutions for twenty-first century (science) diplomacy. Science & Diplomacy, 4(2).
Umar, A. R. M. (2023). Beyond regionalism: The politics of the transboundary haze pollution in Southeast Asia. Global South Review, 3(1), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.22146/globalsouth.67324
US Department of State. (2023). Science diplomacy. https://www.state.gov
Varkkey, H. (2011). ASEAN states as a thin community. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 33(2), 209–233.
Varkkey, H. (2012). Patronage politics, plantation fires and transboundary haze. Environmental Hazards, 11(3), 200–217.
Varkkey, H. (2021). New forms of scientific data sharing and border-spanning hazards. Political Geography, 84, Article 102284.
Waltz, K. N. (1979). Theory of international politics. Addison-Wesley.
Watson, I., & Pandey, C. (2015). Environmental security in the Asia-Pacific. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137494122
Zou, X. (2026). Thirty years of global climate governance: From Rio to Glasgow. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-8457-4
Published
Abstract Display: 0 
PDF Downloads: 0 Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a