Opinion | To fight climate change, Asia-Pacific must turn up the power of its ingenuity and dynamism
- G20 members of the Asia-Pacific are responsible for over half of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the region is falling further behind
- With leaders lining up to make climate neutrality pledges, a realignment of finance and investment towards green industries and jobs is needed
The starting point is not encouraging, however. A joint study by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), UN Environment Programme and UN Women shows that the region is falling even further behind in its efforts: greenhouse gas emissions are projected to increase by 34 per cent by 2030 compared to 2010 levels.
Getting the 30 Asia-Pacific countries that have updated their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – basically, emissions reduction goals – to drastically raise ambitions, and securing adequate NDCs from the other 19 who have yet to submit them, will determine if the region – indeed, the world – can hope to keep the temperature increase well below 2 degrees Celsius.
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What is China doing about climate change?
