This report, published by the OECD's International Futures Programme in co-operation with the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre in Australia, aims to stimulate informed debate about the main integration issues facing the Asia-Pacific region in the ...
This paper emphasises the basis for environmental co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region and identifies issue-linkage as an important characteristic of this process. Progress on international or trans-boundary environmental problems - in which at present the developed countries of the region have the most stake - would be facilitated by linkage with progress on issues in which developing countries have a more immediate stake - local degradation effects for one. It is argued in this paper that welfare effects can be enhanced by expanding the list of potential issues for linkage with international environmental negotiation. The paper provides a brief overview of the state of the environment in the Asia-Pacific region, underscoring the importance of the distinction between emissions and degradation. It then assesses human vulnerability to existing environmental conditions in the Asia-Pacific and emphasises the importance of designing mechanisms for internalising external effects - both within countries and trans-nationally - and assessing the impediments to such internalisation. The paper also advances some suggestions for furthering such internalisation.
This publication is the first Asia-Pacific report that comprehensively maps out the intersections between gender and environment at the levels of household, work, community and policy. It examines gender concerns in the spheres of food security, agriculture, energy, water, fisheries and forestry, and identifies strategic entry points for policy interventions. Based on a grounded study of the reality in the Asia-Pacific region, this report puts together good practices and policy lessons that could be capitalized by policymakers to advance the agenda of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.
This book takes the reader into some of the most intransigent social, economic, and political issues that impact achieving sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. Through meticulous analysis of the integrated relationships between population, development, and the environment, the chapters in this volume investigate the impacts of hydropower development on fragile ecosystems; mining, landslides and environmental degradation; deforestation; water and food security; rural-urban migration, poverty alleviation, civil society and community empowerment; and how disaster recovery requires multi-scalar and multi-disciplinary approaches that take into account governance, culture, and leadership. Legal frameworks may be legislated, but are often rarely implemented. The book will be valuable to students of sustainability, population and development, and governmental policy advising sectors as well as the NGO and humanitarian sectors. The distinctive characteristic of this book is that it encapsulates an integrated, multi-disciplinary focus which brings to the discussion both robust empirical research and challenging policy applications in the investigation of how the sustainable development goals may be achieved in Asia and the Pacific.
This paper presents evidence on whether multinationals are flocking to developing country 'pollution havens'. Although we find some evidence that foreign investors locate in sectors with high levels of air pollution, the evidence is weak at best. We then examine whether foreign firms pollute less than their peers. We find that foreign plants are significantly more energy efficient and use cleaner types of energy. We conclude with an analysis of US outbound investment. Although the pattern of US foreign investment is skewed towards industries with high costs of pollution abatement, the results are not robust across specifications.
The great processes reshaping our world today can be summed up by the term "globalisation". Together with the communications revolution and massive urbanisation, it is reshaping theorganisation of global space. It is illustrated by technological change, pronounced economic growth, the dominance of giant corporations, ever more open markets and universal consumption. Dramatic developments have occurred in Asia-Pacific trade, investment, labour movements and political cooperation, marked for example by APEC, a giant free-trade area designed to encompass about 60% of the world's population and half the world's economy.
The Asia-Pacific region has been experiencing rapid development in the past 30 years, and issues relating to sustainable development will become increasingly important in the coming decades. This comprehensive overview presents sustainable development from the perspectives of Asia and the Pacific, with contributions from more than 70 leading international experts. The first part focuses on the theories and practices of sustainable development, including national and regional perspectives, as well as international policies and law concerning climate change. The second part highlights the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development and poverty reduction amid the changing ecological, social, cultural, economic, and political environment in this region. These include issues such as the importance of science for sustainable development and related areas, including sustainable energy, stratospheric ozone depletion, climate change, land-use change, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction. The volume is an invaluable reference for all researchers and policy makers with an interest in sustainable development.