Environmentally sustainable and “green” infrastructure, including those applying nature-based solutions (NbS), are designed to deliver and/or protect a range of ecosystem services--such as water purification, air quality, space for recreation, and climate mitigation and adaptation--while avoiding or minimizing their impact on wildlife. Such infrastructure serves to support a green economy, reduce costs, create job opportunities, and enhance biodiversity. Sustainable infrastructure planning is a successfully tested tool that provides environmental, economic, and social benefits through natural solutions. In many cases, it can reduce dependence on “grey’ infrastructure that can be damaging to the environment and biodiversity, and can be more expensive to build and maintain. Sustainable Infrastructure upholds the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment endorsed at the G20 Osaka Summit in 2019.

Workshops Series

This series demonstrated the multiple benefits – financial, economic, social, climate-related – of integrating green measures in infrastructure projects in the sectors of transport, energy, urban development and coastal development. The workshops are non-technical in nature, and designed primarily for government representatives, decision-makers, and stakeholders, in particular those attending the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of Parties (COP15), which will reconvene in Kunming, People’s Republic of China, in the third quarter of 2022. The main objective of the COP 15 Conference is to finalize and adopt the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) which will guide urgent policy action at all levels to transform economic, social, and financial models, in order to stabilize biodiversity loss by 2030; and to allow the recovery of natural ecosystems, with net improvements, by 2050. Infrastructure development will play a fundamental role in achieving GBF targets, considering that Asia needs US$1.7 trillion in infrastructure investment to sustain growth and quality of life in the face of urbanization and climate change.

Session 1: Greening the Transport Sector 

28 April 2022 (Thursday) 12:30-14:30, Philippines (GMT+8)

This workshop highlighted the multiple benefits of adopting nature-based measures in wildlife-friendly linear transport projects.

Session 2: Greening the Energy Sector 

19 May 2022 (Thursday)  12:30-14:30, Philippines (GMT+8)

This workshop showcased the multiple benefits of adopting green solutions in energy project development.

Session 3: Greening Coastal Developments 

23 June 2022 (Thursday) 10:30-12:30 Philippines (GMT+8)

Coastal areas in Asia Pacific are among the most vulnerable to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution caused by ports, coastal infrastructure development, and shipping operations. Infrastructure that makes use of natural solutions -- such as beach dunes, reefs and mangrove management -- can help to contain coastal erosion and flooding, and thereby prevent the loss of land, livelihoods, homes, and wildlife habitats. Innovative instruments, including insurance tools and regional environmental standards, are being proposed to manage risks and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Session 4: Roundtable of Champions 

26 October 2022

Discussion focused on principal takeaways from the three earlier workshop sessions, with speakers relating these to the situation in their respective countries, and how environmentally sustainable infrastructure planning could link to each country’s contribution to the GBF.