Regional Centre in Bangkok

Climate, Environment & Energy in Asia-Pacific

The biggest challenge facing the Asia-Pacific region today is balancing long-term ecological sustainability with continued economic growth and human well-being in the context of the climate change crisis, volatile fuel and food prices and the financial/economic downturn.

Rapid population growth, fast economic development and urbanization have led to increased energy needs. Between 1987 and 2004 energy use in this region increased by 88 per cent, compared to a global average rise of 36 per cent. Despite the economic slowdown there are strong signs that regional energy demands will continue to increase in the medium and long term.

Increases in consumption and associated waste have contributed to the exponential growth in environmental problems, such as deteriorating water and air quality, and loss of ecosystem services, threatening to undermine food security.

Climate change is likely to affect the region with thermal stress, and more severe droughts and floods, as well as soil degradation, coastal inundation and salt water intrusion due to sea-level rise. Agricultural productivity is likely to decline substantially, due to projected warmer temperatures and shifts in rainfall patterns in most countries.

Since 2000, Asia and the Pacific’s GDP growth has surpassed the 5 per cent rate. However, despite fast economic growth poverty reduction remains a major issue in the region, which contains two thirds of the world’s poor, including 40% of the poorest, who earn less than $1 per day. Natural resources and the environment are important to poor people in terms of their natural resource based livelihoods, health linked to environmental risks and vulnerability to climate related disasters. Also while poverty in general is declining in AP, the number of "environment poor people" i.e. people whose poverty is linked to declining natural resources and environments shocks is increasing in the region.

Political leadership on environmental issues is often weak, making it difficult to promote the environmental sustainability agenda. Implementation of environmental laws and agreements has been hampered by a wide variety of factors. They include: inadequate implementation, enforcement and monitoring; a lack of capacity, expertise, know-how and coordination among different government agencies; and insufficient public participation, environmental awareness and education.

Most importantly, the lack of integration of environmental and economic policies has been the major constraint in establishing an effective system of environmental management. Capacity constraints are particularly evident in the Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small-Island Developing States (SIDS), as well as in post-conflict regions such as Timor-Leste, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. On the other side of the spectrum there is China and India the two emerging regional/ global political and economic powers who play a lead role in the region.