High-Level Dialogue: Climate Change in the Asia and Pacific - A Development Challenge
Welcome Remarks by
Haruhiko Kuroda
Asian Development Bank
16 June 2009
ADB Headquarters, Mandaluyong City
I. Introduction
Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
I am delighted to welcome you all to this Dialogue. Over the next day and a half, we hope to have a meaningful discussion of the severe climate change challenges facing our region, and our potential to respond through collaborative action. I am pleased to see here regional leaders, senior officials from our member countries, international leaders in the climate change field, and representatives from development partners, nongovernment organizations, and the private sector.
We are indeed greatly honored to have a number of important and distinguished dignitaries with us today - so kindly excuse me for not being able to mention each one of them individually this morning. However, I would like to give a special welcome to His Excellency Goh Kun, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, and to extend thanks to His Excellency Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, who will address us through video shortly. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), led by Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, TERI's Executive Director, and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for co-organizing this Dialogue. And thanks to all of you for joining us in this important event.
II. Regional Response to the Global Climate Change Crisis
Asia and the Pacific is certainly at a critical crossroad. In recent decades, rapid development has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty while bringing the region as a whole to higher living standards. Along with this economic expansion, however, has been a rise in environmental pollution - including greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the countries of developing Asia account for about one-third of global emissions, both from the energy sector and from deforestation and land use change. In the case of the energy sector, this represents a tripling of Asia's share over the past 30 years. Emissions from other sectors are also rising rapidly.
It is imperative that we escalate our efforts to put the region on a path of low-carbon growth. Unless measures are taken now, Asia's share of global greenhouse gas emissions could increase to more than 40% by 2030 - quickly making this region the main driver of climate change.
As we meet today, intense negotiations are underway towards a new agreement on how the world will collectively address the climate change challenge. There are promising signs that we will see meaningful progress in Copenhagen later this year. Progress was made last week in Bonn, as the global community moved closer to a shared vision looking beyond 2012.
Many Asian and Pacific countries have developed action plans both for mitigating emissions, and coping with the impacts of climate change on their economies and societies.
And a number of countries have sought ways to stimulate economic demand while simultaneously laying the groundwork for more climate-friendly development. At the recent ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, for example, participants explored opportunities to expand cooperation in so-called "green growth" measures, including development of renewable energy and other environmentally sustainable technologies. Such actions will help countries generate long-term economic growth and sustainable jobs as they position themselves for clean, resilient, innovative, resource efficient and low-carbon growth. ADB will contribute to such efforts.
III. Climate Change Response a Priority at ADB
In fact, ADB has made responding to climate change a top priority. Last year, we provided nearly $1.7 billion for projects with clean energy components, far exceeding our $1 billion target. Among others, our initiatives include wind power projects in the People's Republic of China and India, and energy-efficient lighting for low-income households here in the Philippines. We are supporting the improvement and expansion of mass transit systems in several Asian cities. And we are developing with partners initiatives that integrate forest protection and sustainable land use while capturing benefits from carbon sequestration.
With respect to climate change adaptation, we must quickly improve our understanding of rising risks to development and find the most cost-effective measures to address these risks. Building climate resilient economies demands attention to development planning based on our rapidly evolving understanding of the pace and scope of climate impacts.
For example, ADB recently released a study on the economic impacts of climate change on the economies of Southeast Asia, and similar studies are planned in South and East Asia and in the Pacific. We are analyzing the implications of the climate challenge for the energy and agriculture sectors in Asia, and the serious impacts on livelihoods and displacement due to climate change.
We have joined with the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency to sponsor an analysis of the likely climate change impacts on several large Asian coastal cities - Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Jakarta. We are collaborating with many partners to support climate change adaptation analysis and responses under the Coral Triangle Initiative.
We created a $40 million Climate Change Fund last year, and we recently supplemented this with a further $40 million Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, partly in acknowledgement of growing risks from weather-related natural disasters to our developing member countries. And we invite contributions from all our development partners.
IV. Concluding Remarks
Ladies and gentlemen, strong partnerships in all our efforts hold the key to our success. Through committed and coordinated action, the Asia and Pacific region can adopt a more sustainable development pathway and overcome the additional poverty burden caused by the climate crisis.
But we must continue to stress that such a massive global challenge can only be addressed through a concerted, cooperative global endeavor. We must make every possible effort toward a successful conclusion to negotiations in Copenhagen. I sincerely hope that this Dialogue will help to move us collectively along that path, emphasizing the importance of Asian and Pacific countries in finding a solution to our common problem.
I keenly look forward to fruitful discussions and a successful conference.
Thank you.
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