Efficient Resource Use Key To New Industrial Revolution In Asia Pacific- UN Report
Efficient Resource Use Key to New Industrial Revolution in Asia Pacific, report says
High Potential for Low-Carbon and Resource-Efficient Growth
Wasteful use of resources in Asia-Pacific countries is undermining their ability to sustain economic growth in future, but there is great potential for low-carbon and resource-efficient growth, according to a UNEP report released at the First Asia Pacific Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities
Calling for a ‘new industrial revolution’ to promote equitable human well-being with lower resource use, the report cautions that the Asia-Pacific region cannot depend on declining natural resource costs for its future growth. A more sustainable pathway is required for the region, but this shift needs financing—some US$2.5 trillion in annual sustainable development investments, according to some estimates.
“Asia Pacific, as the most diverse region in the world and home to 60 per cent of the world’s population, will be crucial to the success of the sustainable development, financing and climate change agendas being finalized this year,” said Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director.
“The region’s remarkable economic progress has lifted millions out of poverty, but inequality persists, climate change continues to grow as a threat, and, as this report shows, wasteful resource use has seen the material footprint of the region triple between 1990 and 2010.”
“Significant scale-up in investments towards a green economy, coupled with sound regulatory frameworks and the mainstreaming of sustainability in national development planning processes, can ensure Asia Pacific’s impressive growth continues while safeguarding human well-being and natural resources, and reducing the future carbon emissions trajectory,” he added.
“These types of information are relevant for the Philippines and in other governments across the region in order for us to make the most informed decisions that best serve our people. This knowledge of current patterns of resource use can further help us make decisions about our policy priorities, development, and implementation towards a low carbon resource efficient economy,” says Hon. Mr. Ramon J.P. Paje, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines.
FAQs