The “APEC Foresight Workshop: Identification of Emerging Signals Affecting Carbon Neutrality Using Foresight” is being held on 26–27 November 2025 at the Pullman King Power Bangkok, Thailand. The event brings together more than 30 participants from eight APEC member economies, including Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Indonesia; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Chinese Taipei; and Thailand to explore how emerging signals and trends may shape the region’s pathways toward carbon neutrality.

Organised by the Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO) and the APEC Center for Technology Foresight (APEC CTF), the workshop provides a regional platform to link strategic foresight with climate and energy policy. Over two days, participants apply foresight tools to detect, classify and prioritise signals that could significantly influence the transition to carbon neutrality in APEC economies.

The workshop was officially opened by Dr. Surachai Sathitkunarat, President of NXPO and Executive Director of APEC CTF. In his opening remarks, he underlined that climate change is no longer a distant future concern, but a reality already affecting economies, societies and daily lives across the region. At the same time, new technologies, business models, social movements and policy frameworks are emerging at great speed, creating both opportunities and risks for the carbon neutrality transition.

Dr. Surachai emphasised that in this context of uncertainty and complexity, foresight tools are essential for anticipating change and informing policy. Horizon scanning, weak signal detection, trends analysis and scenario thinking can help policymakers and stakeholders look ahead, explore different futures and respond in a timely manner. He described the workshop as “not just a conference to listen, but a policy lab,” encouraging participants to actively exchange views, challenge assumptions and co-create ideas.

The programme is highly interactive and built around a sequence of foresight activities. On Day 1, under the theme “Classifying anticipatory signals”, participants begin with a dynamic warm-up session titled “Imagining Possible Futures with Cards”, led by Mr. Pawat Pongsai, Head of Research Team at the Center for Futures Studies, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Thailand. Using visual cards and guided questions, he invites participants to connect images with emerging changes, helping them shift from linear thinking to multiple future perspectives and preparing them for deeper signal work throughout the workshop.

The workshop also features two keynote speakers who provide important thematic and methodological framing:

• Dr. Reza Aghdam, from the University of Sydney, Australia, delivers a keynote on “Towards Carbon Neutrality: Insights from the Australian Perspective and Opportunities for Regional Cooperation”. His talk shares Australia’s experience in pursuing carbon neutrality, including policy directions, technological developments and lessons learned, while highlighting areas where APEC economies can collaborate to accelerate the transition.

• Dr. Tan Shu Ying, from the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), presents a keynote on “Horizon Scanning and Trends Analysis”. She introduces practical approaches and tools for systematically scanning the horizon, identifying trends and weak signals, and organising them into meaningful structures to support decision-making. Her contribution provides a methodological backbone for the workshop’s radar and signal exercises.

Participants are then guided through a foresight radar that visualises a wide set of signals related to carbon neutrality. In a collaborative “rescanning the radar” exercise, they review existing signals, identify gaps and add new items based on their national and sectoral experience. This leads into signal sensemaking and classification, where participants work in groups to categorise signals—for example, as weak signals, wild cards or emerging issues—and assess their potential impact and uncertainty.

Later in the day, the focus shifts to signal prioritisation. Using interactive tools and structured dialogue, participants narrow down the broader list to a shortlist of priority signals that are considered particularly important for APEC’s carbon neutrality future. These priority signals become the core inputs for the second day.

On Day 2, under the theme “Signals prioritization and co-creating strategy”, the workshop moves from analysis to strategy. Participants revisit the selected signals and discuss their implications for APEC member economies, including potential benefits, challenges and areas where joint action could create added value. A recommendation-focused dialogue explores policy directions, cooperation frameworks and possible pilot projects in science, technology and innovation (STI) that could be taken forward through APEC and PPSTI.

The programme also includes a panel discussion and economy presentations at the NXPO–APEC CTF office, where delegates briefly present national perspectives and highlight particularly impactful signals from their own contexts. This exchange allows for comparison of experiences, identification of common challenges and recognition of distinctive opportunities across economies.

By the end of the workshop, organisers expect to have a prioritised set of emerging signals, initial insights on their implications for APEC economies, and key messages that can be developed into policy-relevant recommendations and future collaborative initiatives. The APEC Foresight Workshop thus aims to strengthen the region’s capacity to anticipate change and to co-create more sustainable, climate-resilient futures on the path to carbon neutrality.