Transcript Green Transition and Innovation

Towards a Sustainable Asia: Green
Transition and Innovation
---- Key Findings of the AASA SDA Report
Gensuo Jia
Key Lab of Regional Climate-Environment for East Asia
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
[email protected]
2012-04-24 Cape Town
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Contents
 Background
 Project objectives, methodology, and
Progress
 Key findings and recommendations
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Challenges for Asia’s Sustainability
 Population increase, 4 bn, the biggest population in
the world
 Poverty alleviation
 Declining natural resources and Degrading
environment as global factories and warehouse
 Energy supply/demand and security
 Increase of GHG emissions
 Cultural diversity shocked by globalization, and rapid
industrialization and urbanization
 Crossroad: from labor/energy intensity to efficiency?
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Asia will suffer most by the Triple Crisis
Economic
Crisis:
Fast growth led by
export
Resource
Crisis:
Rising Oil price
Source: UNESCAP
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Ecological
Crisis:
Most vulnerable to
climate change
impacts
Opportunities in new Context
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Financial crisis, restoration and innovation in East Asia,
green recovery?
Addressing climate change, Asia’s common actions?
Under the context of globalization, how to make win-win
economic growth sustainable?
How to Improve communication and cooperation is the
foundation to push Green growth and Sustainable
Development in Asian countries
“Sustainable Development in Asia” (SDA) project was
initiated by the AASA in 2007
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Contents
 Background
 Project objectives, methodology, and
Progress
 Key findings and recommendations
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Objectives
Objectives of the SDA project launched by AASA:
 Strengthening mutual understanding among countries /
regions and realizing a sustainable future in Asia
 Improving cooperation among academies in Asia and
providing policy recommendations on SD through joint
research on common concerns
 Taking common actions and policy recommendations
Four science groups were established:
 Natural resource; environment and climate change; energy;
and culture and heritage
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Methodology
International workshops & coordinative
meetings (26 member academies)
Literature review and Empirical analysis
Case Study: best practices
Comprehensive assessment
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Outputs: Book series
Title of Book series: Towards a Sustainable Asia
Synthesis report:
 Green Transition and Innovation
Thematic reports:
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Energy
Natural Resources
Environment and Climate Change
The Cultural Perspectives
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Contents
 Background
 Project objectives, methodology, and
Progress
 Key findings and recommendations
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Key Finding 1: Asian Development
Model (ADM) is facing challenges
 Global economic context changed due to global issues like
financial crisis and climate change
 Some Asian countries are losing their transitional
comparative advantages
 Shortage of resources and energy, and limitation of
environmental carrying-capacity
 A new Asian Development Model should be shaped as green,
low-carbon, smart, innovative, cooperative, and inclusive
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Conventional vs. green growth model
Quantity of
Growth,
focusing on
Maximizing GDP,
Production
&Consumption
Quality of
Growth:
Market Cost Efficiency
Eco-efficiency
quality of life, wellbeing and ecological
sustainability
Source: UNESCAP
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“Grow First,
Clean Up
Later”
Green
Growth
Key Finding 2: Green transition will be
crucial to a new ADM
Green transition:
 New ways of manufacturing and services
 Green/eco-efficient technologies
 From fossil-fuel dependent to renewable
 Green jobs to meet MDGs
 Green consumption and lifestyle
 New development model/governance
Green Asia: traditional knowledge + high tech
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BUSINESS AS USUAL

GREEN GROWTH
Market price
≠
Ecological price
Economic efficiency
<
Ecological efficiency
Quantity of growth

Quality of growth
(Grow first, clean-up later)
Source: UNESCAP
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Key Finding 3: Green innovation is
key/bridge to green transition
S & T Innovation should be basis for green
transition
Innovation priority should be differential based on
local socio-economic conditions
Innovation includes both technology and non-tech
aspects, in particular, policy, regulation, and
institutional arrangements; policy-driving
innovation
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Strategic framework for green
transition in Asia
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Key Finding 4: Models/experiences are
available for green transition in Asia
 Advantages as later comers of modernization and transition
 Government commitment and political will
 Cultural tradition with respect for and living in harmony
with nature
 The largest potential green market
 Increasingly innovative practice and market-based
instrument application
 Best practice for sustainable development in Asian and other
countries
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Asia initiatives towards greener economies
Guiding principles
23% of global green stimulus investments
originated in Asia-Pacific
Developing countries need access to green
technologies and financial assistance to invest in
them
China’s $468 billion investment in greening key
sectors by 2015; more than double in the past five
years
India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme to reduce poverty through sustainable
infrastructure development
Indonesia’s goal of a ‘green and everlasting
Indonesia’ by 2025, aims for 7% GDP increase & 41%
GHG reduction by 2030
Japan’s 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) policy to increase
resource efficiency and minimize waste
Republic of Korea’s “Green New Deal” policy seeks
2% of GDP to be invested in Green Growth
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Green investments should not raise
indebtedness of developing countries, nor
erode gains in poverty eradication
Benefits of greening , e.g., green
industries and green jobs, must be
diffused across all countries
Fossil fuels and depleting natural
resources should be shared equitably
among nations
Greening should avoid inefficiencies of central
planning and excesses of poorly regulated
markets
Renewable energy: Wind power
 China:Annual growth rate over 100% during 2004-2009
 25.8 GW in 2009, over 5 times of projection of the Plan in 2007
 National Target: wind provides 15% power by 2020
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Grid integration for renewable
25% Renewable Electricity by 2025:
•$500 billion new investment
•>1 million new jobs
•~750 million-tons-CO2/yr
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Fuel Consumption Limits in Selected Economies
China
EU
Source： CATARC
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Efficient appliances: Maker-user
Can save
12%
of residential electricity use in
China in 2020.
Role of major manufacturers?
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Recommendation: Build regional partnership
for green transition
 A new regional cooperation model with multi-track
collaboration, bi-lateral and multi-lateral, in terms of
different advantage and responsibility
 Establish an Asia Green Transition Fund for technology
transfer, best practice sharing, etc.
 Prioritized fields for cooperation:
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Low cost renewable and low-carbon technology
Regional resource and environmental security
Improvement of regional environmental quality
Smart growth and green transition
country pathway to green future
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Take Home Messages
- SD Cooperation mechanisms: International
treaties (e.g. Agenda 21, UNFCCC) vs. market?
- High-tech  localized green solutions (combine with
local knowledge and skills)
- Lead or follow?
……
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Thank You
Gensuo JIA
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Key Lab of Regional Climate-Environment for East Asia
[email protected]
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