Dynamic evaluation of green development level of ASEAN region and its spatio-temporal patterns

Being one of the most dynamic economic regions of the world, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) confronts significant problems concerning environmental protection. To effectively promote sustainable growth of the ASEAN economy, each member state has shown enormous interest in fostering green development. Our study aims to evaluate the green development level of ASEAN member states for the period of 2010–2019. We employed the entropy weighting approach, combined with the spatio-temporal analysis to evaluate the current level, changing trends and spatial characteristics of the green development level of each ASEAN member. The findings of our study reveal that ASEAN members with a high degree of green development have a solid economic base and have placed a greater emphasis on the high-level coordinated development of economy, society, and environment. In contrast, ASEAN members with a modest level of green development face dual challenges from low economic growth and environmental preservation. Further, for ASEAN members with a low degree of green development, rapid economic expansion is accompanied by enormous pressure from environmental limitations. Based on the research findings, our study advances the understanding of the green development status in the ASEAN region and presents policy implications for the ASEAN member states.