Unless Southeast Asian countries drastically reduce glasshouse gas emissions, global warming in this region will result in rising seas, dangerous flooding, forest fires, and changing rain patterns, potentially leading to a more severe natural disaster that threatens trade and development. Climate change mitigation efforts by the region’s intergovernmental organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), have been ineffective, causing losses in various aspects of each member’s economy and possibly decreasing Southeast Asia’s overall GDP. Africa has been grappling with some of the most adverse effects of climate change despite being one of the least contributors to the cause of the climate change crises. The high development deficit weakens Africa’s preparedness for responding to the catastrophic effects of climate change. As Africa continues to push more for economic growth in the face of the global climate challenge by increasing intra-trade through the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement and other regional economic policies, there are concerns about how economic interest and climate change commitments of African countries may be at odds without a regional framework on how the commitments can be factored into economic and development plans. Although all ten ASEAN members have committed to combating climate change by ratifying the 2015 Paris Agreement and establishing various national climate change adaptation and mitigation actions, implementation remains challenging. This paper provides a general overview of the similarities and differences in climate change policies in both regions and a critique of the current framework, particularly in the Southeast Asian and African regions.