In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

Despite rapid economic progress over the past thirty years, many of Asia’s most critical development challenges persist.  More than 600 million Asian people earn less than $1 per day, and hundreds of millions more live in poverty. Institutional, economic, and social incentives inadvertently support polluting and environmentally destructive practices while inconsistent policies and widespread corruption hinder change. It is no surprise that rapidly industrializing nations in Asia face some of the highest rates of air and water pollution in the world.

Securing access to clean water is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing Asia. In China, India, Vietnam, Mongolia and Laos, pollution from the manufacturing, mining and agriculture industries is depleting groundwater, rivers, and coastal resources. China alone has 700 million people unable to access safe drinking water; demand is expected to triple by 2030. The impact of China’s pollution on trans-boundary watersheds, combined with its growing demand for water and other raw materials, has serious implications for regional and global development. Also, cross-border air pollution from dust, smoke and industrial exhaust creates major health and ecological problems in parts of Northeast and Southeast Asia.

Fortunately, concern for the environment is rising dramatically in Asia. Governments, industries and individuals are taking steps to minimize pollution and raise environmental awareness. Asian countries have developed national environmental protection laws and policies, and are devoting greater resources to protecting natural resources. The Chinese government recently set aside $1.75 billion to reduce pollution of the country’s air, land and water resources. In South Korea awareness is growing that environmental threats must be addressed on a regional basis since many of the water and air problems do not respect political borders. Korea is also committed to increasing its assistance for addressing poverty and environmental problems in the Asia-Pacific region through ODA as well as non-governmental efforts.

Regional, national and local projects have been launched to address environmental challenges in Asia. Some projects have shown positive results; others have been limited in scope and impact. Many projects have focused on technical solutions and encountered problems with sustainability. Often clean-up has been emphasized more than prevention. The Asia Foundation has found that sustained impact is possible when affected communities, local governments, environmental advocates, and the business community collaborate to analyze problems, develop strategies, implement action, and evaluate results. Successful programs emphasize the alignment of economic and political incentives in favor of clean production and a healthier environment. In this way, economic growth and job creation can take place while at the same time creating and maintaining a healthy environment on which our wellbeing and long-term progress ultimately depend.

This week, The Asia Foundation is co-hosting with the KDI School of Public Policy and Management and the Korea Business Council for Sustainable Development a forum in Seoul, Korea to address local and regional environmental threats in the context of development. Above is a summary of the core concepts the forum is addressing.