Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Clean energy is key to Asia-Pacific’s ‘green recovery’ from Covid-19

Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects create more jobs than fossil fuel projects and can make communities more inclusive, particularly for women and children, and more resilient in future crises

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Wind turbines amid sunflowers in China’s Gansu province in August 2019. We must harness the capacity of sustainable energy to rebuild our societies and economies while protecting the environment. Photo: Xinhua

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Published: 10:15am, 22 Feb 2021Updated: 10:26am, 22 Feb 2021

The past year is one that few of us will forget. While the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has played out unevenly across Asia and the Pacific, the region has been spared many of the worst effects seen in other parts of the world. The pandemic has reminded us that a reliable and uninterrupted energy supply is critical in a crisis.

Beyond ensuring that hospitals and health care facilities continue to function, energy supports the systems and coping mechanisms we rely on to work remotely, undertake distance learning and communicate essential health information. Importantly, energy will also underpin cold chains and logistics to ensure that billions of vaccines make their way to the people who need them most.

The good news is our region’s energy systems have continued to function throughout the pandemic.

A new report, “Shaping a sustainable energy future in Asia and the Pacific: A greener, more resilient and inclusive energy system”, released on February 22 by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) shows that the energy demand reductions have mainly affected fossil fuels and depressed oil and gas prices.

Renewable energy development in countries across the region, such as China and India, has continued at a healthy pace throughout 2020.

As the Asia-Pacific region transitions its energy system towards clean, efficient and low-carbon technologies, the emergence of the pandemic raises some fundamental questions. How can a transformed energy system help ensure our resilience in future crises? As we recover from this pandemic, can we launch a “green recovery” that simultaneously rebuilds our economies and puts us on track to meet global climate and sustainability goals?