Economic growth that is environmentally sustainable can eliminate poverty, since many poor people depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. The poor are the most vulnerable to the impacts of a degraded environment. This report presents a snapshot of ADB's strategy to support environmentally sustainable growth in Asia and the Pacific.
Introduction
The developing countries in Asia and the Pacific continue to experience an increasingly resource-intensive growth due to rapid urbanization, increasing consumption by a rising middle class, and the need for new infrastructure to sustain its high economic growth.
This growth has come at a high price; degraded natural resources and ecosystems, worsening water stress, increasing amount of hazardous waste. These problems have had an adverse effect on public health and human well-being. The poor being the hardest hit with increasing pressure on the environmental carrying capacity. Climate change is expected to exacerbating these problems.
Environmental Assistance
Chapter 2 presents ADB's performance with environmental sustainability as a theme. It discusses ADB practices to mainstream environment into country partnership strategies and to integrate safeguards into investment operations. It also presents an overview of its knowledge generation and sharing activities.
Initiatives and Partnerships
ADB launched several initiatives to promote the expanded use of clean energy, encourage sustainable transport and urban development, and promote climate resilient development. Together these are the key elements of ADB's climate change priorities. While many of these initiatives address problems at the regional level, they also aim to solve problems at the local level.
Looking Forward
ADB will continue to help address some of the negative consequences of current growth patterns by improving environmental management in the region. Efforts in this area will seek to reconcile the quest for increasing GDP with the need to protect fragile renewable resources, a decline in environmental quality, and a diminishing base of non-renewable resources.
