The latest developments in Southeast Asia

Ⅰ.Vietnam is actively promoting the transition to green transportation: On November 14, 2025, the government office of Vietnam issued an official document, conveying the guidelines of the deputy prime minister regarding the development of public transportation systems and the support for the public to use green transportation methods. This directive clearly requires that specific policies to support the public's use of green transportation must be proposed by January 31, 2026. This move aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, lower carbon emissions, and encourage the development of urban models oriented towards public transportation (TOD), which will have a long-term impact on the planning and energy consumption structure of rail transit stations and their surrounding buildings. 

Ⅱ.The long-term building energy conservation project is continuously advancing: The "Asian Low-Carbon Building Transformation (ALCBT)" project funded by the German government is being implemented in several Southeast Asian countries. This project is not a new policy released last week, but a long-term action lasting five years (2023-2028). It aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by catalyzing a nationwide low-carbon building transformation. For example, in Cambodia, the project is collaborating with the government to develop a green building certification system and institutionalize the building carbon assessment tool.

Current developments in Europe and America

Ⅰ.The United States adjusts the rating standards for rail transportation projects: On November 14, 2025, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the United States announced in the final guidelines of its "Capital Investment Grants (CIG)" program that it has removed the rating standard regarding "social carbon costs". This move implies that in the future, when applying for federal funds for rail transportation projects in the United States, the assessment criteria will change, which may affect the planning and implementation methods of some large-scale infrastructure projects. 

Ⅱ.The state-level building energy conservation projects in the United States offer financial support: 

○  Maryland recently announced the first batch of funded projects under the "Community Building Electrification Assistance Program", with a total amount of 6.78 million US dollars. These funds will be used to support the electrification upgrades of community service facilities, such as replacing gas heating equipment with efficient heat pumps. 

○  The 2025 building energy efficiency standards adopted by California (which were approved in September 2024 and are designed to prepare for future implementation) are also worthy of attention. These standards require that certain existing retail, school, and office buildings must switch to efficient systems, including heat pumps, when replacing their roof HVAC equipment. This sets a clear energy efficiency direction for various types of building renovations, including parks and laboratories. 

Ⅲ.New York State Releases Building Decarbonization Design Guidelines: In January 2025, New York State released the "Decarbonization and Climate Resilience Design Guidelines" for new and major renovation buildings in the state. This guideline mandates that affected entities (including state universities, which fall under the higher education sector) must use fully electric equipment and adopt stricter energy codes when designing new buildings or conducting major renovations. This sets clear green construction standards for public sector buildings, including potentially involved laboratory facilities.

Summary and Key Points

Ⅰ.The policies in Southeast Asia focus more on the combination of long-term planning for green transformation in the transportation sector and mandatory requirements. In terms of building energy conservation, it relies on long-term international cooperation projects for promotion. 

Ⅱ.In Europe and the United States, particularly in the US, there have been recent adjustments in specific funding allocation and project rating criteria that have directly affected project implementation. At the same time, state-level building electrification and mandatory energy efficiency standards are continuing to be strengthened.