Measuring Environmental Quality In Asia

The relationship between industrialization, economic growth and environmental protection is now recognized as the essence of the sustainability issue in Asia. One of the more difficult aspects facing the development policymaker is how to measure this relationship in concrete ways. This study develops a set of environmental indices to serve as guides to assess the state of the environment, measure the nature and degree of environmental change, and indicate the financing requirements for remediation.

The OECD Environmental Outlook provides economy-based projections of environmental pressures and changes in the state of the environment to 2020.

The economies located in East, South and Southeast Asia have witnessed an interesting growth-sustainability trade-off over the last decades. While growth considerations have paved ways for deepened ties with growing trade-investment waves and increasing population pressure necessitated exploitation of hitherto unutilized natural resources, focus on environmental sustainability has been a recent consideration. The growth impetus still playing a key role in these economies, it becomes imperative that the countries effectively address the key sustainability concerns, e.g. air and water pollution, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, climate change issues like CO2 emissions etc. But how prepared is the governance mechanism of these countries, covering not only the legislative and administrative framework but also involvement of the judiciary, presence of spirited civil society and active engagement of stakeholders in policy-framing dialogues, to rise up to these challenges? The book seeks an answer to this question through the environmental governance mechanism and natural resource conservation policies in three vibrant regions within Asia. A holistic development dimension of sustainable development path emerges, through discussion of policies adopted by developed (Japan, South Korea), upper-middle (China, Malaysia), developing (India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand) and least developed countries (Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal).

Environmental Policies in Asia highlights the environmental challenges Asian planners and policymakers face as the continent undergoes rapid economic growth in the 21st Century. Edited by Jing Huang and Shreekant Gupta, with contributions from leading Asian scholar practitioners, this timely and unique volume is the first of its kind to look at environmental policies and governance from the perspective of seven dynamic Asian countries. These include developed economies of Japan and Singapore, emerging giants such as China and India and rapidly developing nations such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The volume discusses environmental challenges that stem from issues as local as poor recycling practices, to ones that are as vast and complex as global climate change. Engaging, accessible, and pan-Asian in scope, the essays also present creative ways in which these challenges are being addressed. This book is valuable to anyone who is keen on understanding Asia, its growth, and whether its rise is environmentally sustainable. Contents:Introduction:Environmentally Sustainable Development in Asia: Challenges and Choices (Jing Huang)Key Issues in Combating Environmental Concerns in Asia:Environmental Policy and Governance in a Federal Framework: Perspectives from India (Shreekant Gupta)Japan's Role in Climate Change Issues (Ryuzo Yamamoto)Environmental Impacts of 'Fast Development in Asia':Policies for Environmentally Sustainable Development: Perspectives from Vietnam (Nguyen Huu Ninh)Resource-Environmental Foundation for Green and Low-Carbon Development in China (Zhu Shou-xian)China's Environmental Governance: Evolution and Limitations (Wu Fuzuo)Fragmentation to Integration: Environmental and Sustainable Development Challenges in Malaysia (Chee Yoke Ling and Lim Li Ching)Environmental Policy Implementation: Achievements and Challenges:Governing the Common Firm: The Evolution of Environmental Policy for Small Businesses in India (Sudhir Chella Rajan)Environmental Management 3.0: Connecting the Dots between Pollution, Sustainability, Transparency and Governance in Indonesia (Shakeb Afsah and Nabiel Makarim)Environmental Law, Policy, Governance and Management for Cities: Getting it right for a Sustainable Future — The Singapore Experience (Lye Lin-Heng)Trade-offs and Synergies for Sustainable Development and Climate Stabilisation in Asian regions (Keigo Akimoto, Fuminori Sano, Ayami Hayashi, Takashi Homma, Junichiro Oda, Kenichi Wada, Miyuki Nagashima, Kohko Tokushige and Toshimasa Tomoda)Concluding Thoughts:Future Environmental Challenges for Asia (Shreekant Gupta) Readership: Environmental policy students, general public interested in Asia and its challenges, policymakers, envrionmental professionals and practitioners. Key Features:No books on environmental policies in Asian countries have been published in recent years so this collection is unique and the first of kindUnique in its pan-Asian focus; the first volume to draw together eminent Asian scholar-practitioners on this topicExplicit focus on environmental issues, which is very timely (e.g., global warming is a pressing issue)Keywords:Envrionmental Policy;Sustainable Development;Environmental Management;Asia;China;India;Japan;ASEAN

World Bank Technical Paper No. 378. In the cities of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, the main contributor of air pollution comes from the transport sector, followed by power plants, industrial units, and burning of garbage. Fuel quality and engine conditions significantly influence the level of air pollution. In response to this growing problem, the Urban Environment Management Committee was launched to assist local institutions in developing action plans that would be an integral part of their air quality management system. This report focuses on the development of the air quality management system and concludes with an action plan for air pollution abatement that takes into account the economic costs and benefits of abatement measures for the Kathmandu Valley.

How’s Life? charts whether life is getting better for people in 37 OECD countries and 4 partner countries. This fifth edition presents the latest evidence from an updated set of over 80 indicators, covering current well-being outcomes, inequalities, and resources for future well-being.