As countries begin to recover from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, policy makers must decide what type of economic recovery they want to pursue. Will they choose measures that continue with existing “business-as-usual” economic structures that have a negative impact on the environment? Or will they take up the challenge of rebuilding in a way that ensures an economically and environmentally resilient future?

Economies in Asia and the Pacific are increasingly committing to the goal of carbon neutrality, in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change and outcomes of the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26).

Cohosted by the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), East Asia Forum 2022 explored the next steps for achieving decarbonization in Asia and the Pacific, drawing upon lessons from East Asia.

USG-UCCRTF organized a session on “Use of geospatial tools and analysis for remote monitoring of projects and building climate resilience” as part of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction's events under the 2021 Resilience Learning Month.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) to improve climate resilience have been rediscovered and universally promoted and identified as essential moving forward on climate action, as in the UNFCCC’s 2020 annual report. ADB has been supporting NbS and green capital development in various countries.

CWER’s intern Cynthia Wang presented findings of her internship project to identify potential approaches for scaling up private sector-driven adaptation and resilience investments and activities. This included a summary of existing frameworks for identifying and measuring private sector adaptation, barriers and drivers for private sector adaptation, and case studies of earlier development projects. She concluded with a discussion on prospective areas and modalities of ADB support.

The Asia-Pacific Forum on Green and Low-carbon Development (APLC) hosted by the Government of Hunan Province and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is the fifth forum to be conducted after the signing of the MOU between the Government of Hunan Province and the ADB in 2015.

Many developing Asian countries are committed to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, or Nationally Determined Contributions, under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. To achieve these targets, countries have started to plan and implement policies incentivizing emission reductions, such as carbon taxes and emission trading schemes. However, their effectiveness is challenged by factors including policy design, energy prices, and the COVID-19 crisis.

Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Manila time (GMT+8)