Energy Environmental And Economic Sustainability In East Asia

This book looks at institutional reforms for the use of energy, water and resources toward a sustainable future in East Asia. The book argues that developments in the East Asian region are critical to global sustainability and acknowledges that there is an increasing degree of mutual reliance among countries in East Asia – primarily China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It analyzes environmental impacts stemming from the use of energy, water and mineral resources via economic development in East Asia in the medium to long term (through 2050) through theoretical and empirical modelling. The book also evaluates the ripple effects of environmental and resource policies on each country’s economy and clarifies the direction of institutional reform in energy systems, resources and water use for a sustainable future.

East Asia has experienced the fastest economic growth in the world over the last three decades, accompanied by a 10-fold gross domestic product increase and rapid urbanization. Energy consumption has more than tripled during this period and is expected to double over the next 20 years. This remarkable trend has led to twin energy challenges in the region environmental sustainability and energy security. Written for an audience of energy policy makers and practitioners, Winds of Change explores the region s energy future over the next two decades through two energy scenarios. It outlines the strategic direction East Asia s energy sector must take to meet its growing energy demand in an environmentally sustainable manner, and presents a pathway of policy frameworks and financing mechanisms to get there. The six East Asian countries China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam examined in this book could, with the right policies and financing, stabilize CO2 emissions by 2025, improve their local environment, and enhance energy security without compromising economic growth. They must move their energy sectors toward much higher efficiency and more widespread use of low-carbon technologies, while obtaining substantial financing and low-carbon technologies from developed countries. This clean energy revolution requires major policy and institutional reforms, including energy pricing reforms, regulations such as energy efficiency standards, financial incentives such as feed-in tariffs for renewable energy, and accelerated research and development. Finally, building low-carbon cities will be key to containing the rapid urban energy growth through compact urban design, public transport, clean vehicles, and green buildings. The window of opportunity is closing fast delaying action would lock the region into a longlasting high-carbon infrastructure. The technical and policy means exist for such transformational changes, but only strong political will and unprecedented international cooperation will make them happen.

East Asia is a key region in the global economy, including both the second and third largest global economies already and, led by China, continuing to expand at a rapid rate. This economic growth has led to unprecedented gains in prosperity in the region but it has also led to increasing environmental pressures and energy issues. This book assesses ways in which East Asia can continue or even increase existing rates of economic growth while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental degradation. Using advanced modelling approaches, future scenarios for four East Asian countries are assessed in detail, including analysis of particular challenges in each country (e.g. coal power in China, nuclear power in Japan). Prospects for each country’s energy system are assessed in detail and the potential effects of various types of Environmental Tax Reform in the four countries are also considered carefully. The final section of the book explores the interaction between trade liberalization, a key driver of growth, and emission levels in the East Asia region.

The rapid and sustained economic growth of the past two decades has led to marked increases in energy demand in the region and developing Asia will continue to lead the energy demand growth. The increase in energy demand threatens energy security and efforts to curb carbon dioxide emissions, affecting health and social well-being. These common energy challenges will need to be addressed through concerted efforts. This book provides several multi-dimensional quantitative analysis of the relationship between energy and other subjects including but not limited to income and economic growth, environment and health, food and agricultural production. The book also provides the most constructive policy recommendations concerning the relationship between energy, economic development, social development, and environmental development.

This book aims to analyze the impact of green growth and low carbon development on the transformation of energy systems and international trade and to evaluate the environmental and economic consequences of such policies in Northeast Asia. Green Growth and Low Carbon Development in East Asia, thereby, uncovers the limitations and challenges of advancing sustainable development world-wide.

Building Sustainability in East Asia: Policy, Design and People illustrates the holistic approaches and individual strategies to building sustainability that have been implemented in construction projects in Asia. Top-down and bottom-up approaches (from formulating policy to constructing individual buildings) are effective in terms of the sustainable development of cities, and this book covers both, illustrated with a range of case study developments.

In order to advance sustainable development, it is crucial to change the course and mode of conventional economic growth in East Asia, which has enjoyed rapid economic growth of late but faces substantial environmental challenges. This volume focuses on the evolution of multilevel environmental governance in the East Asian region, including both Northeast and Southeast Asia. It examines how effective emerging environmental governance and policy have been and addresses the underlying causes of local, national, regional, and global environmental challenges. Specific topics include democratization and its effect on decisionmaking processes, international environmental aid, economic analysis of carbon reduction policy, regional and global environmental regimes and subsequent new financial mechanisms, and hybrid systems of environmental governance that emphasize the role of the private sector and civil society in contributing to environmental governance. The book gives special attention to the regional economic and environmental regimes. It analyzes the advantages; challenges; and solutions in addressing local, national, regional, and global environmental challenges and in changing the course of economic growth.

This book provides several up-to-date empirical policy-oriented studies on assessing the impacts of climate change on various economic sectors and the role of renewable energy resources in mitigating pollution and climate change. It suggests various policy recommendations on how to increase the share of renewable energy resources in the energy baskets of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the rest of the world to ensure energy sustainability. As of 2020, most of the world’s energy investment still went to carbon-emitting sources, namely, fossil fuels. On the other hand, the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic Project Overview 20 March 2021 08:39 Page 6 of 9 downturns shrank the global energy demand, including fossil fuels, resulting in a sharp drop in their prices. Low fossil fuel prices are harmful to developing renewable energy projects, making solar, wind, and other renewable energy resources less competitive as sources of electricity. This is endangering the Paris agreement and the “Climate Action” goal of the United Nations. Given the high share of fossil fuels in the energy mix of the members of ASEAN, tremendous challenges must be faced for their energy transition in the post-Covid-19 world. The authors call for sound policy and applicable technologies to ensure sustainable energy availability, accessibility, and affordability to reach emission reduction targets.