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For indepth insight to urban solid waste management, pls view www.worldbank.org/solidwaste.
For industry updates in the emerging East Asia and Pacific Region, pls click www.worldbank.org/eap
Sustaining Asia's Prosperity: Prospects and Opportunities
We are all aware of the stunning growth that has spread since the post- World War Two era from Japan to the so-called "Asian Tiger" economies of Hong Kong, Taipei,China, Korea and Singapore; from the economic miracles in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia to China, India and Viet Nam. The Asia and Pacific region has become a major contributor to global prosperity, and has done well in terms of raising standards of living at home. Today, Asian people are healthier and increasingly more prosperous. The number of people living in absolute poverty, defined as an income of $1 a day or less, has declined from over 920 million in 1990 to about 600 million today.
Despite this progress, there are still more than 1.5 billion people living below the $2 a day poverty line. Continued rapid growth, while not the only requirement, is a prerequisite for generating economic opportunities and providing resources to tackle the myriad problems associated with poverty.
But whether or not the recent high rates of growth be sustained is a particularly pertinent question in the current global economic environment. It is our view that the economies of emerging Asia will continue to grow strongly, but at a somewhat slower pace in 2008 than in 2007. The International Monetary Fund has also suggested that the impact of a US slowdown on emerging Asia is limited due to strong expansion by China and India.
Extract from Asian Development Bank (ADB)
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Profits For Green Investments In Asia
Green investments and products offer the promise of strong business and job opportunities in Asia and the Pacific, according to a report released today by ADB.
The report, Asian Environment Outlook (AEO) 2005, estimates the global market in 2005 for environmental goods and services to be about $600 billion, and projects this market will expand to more than $800 billion by 2015. Out of this burgeoning market, Asia and the Pacific accounts for $37 billion. With a growth rate of 8-12% - the fastest in the world - the regional market is expected to triple to $100 billion by 2015.
"We now see that governments across our region - from India, to Thailand, to the People's Republic of China - are increasingly ready to take on environmental challenges. Enforcement of pollution control laws is tightening, budgets for environmental protection are increasing, and judiciaries are taking tougher stances," says Nessim Ahmad, Director of ADB's Environment and Social Safeguards Division.
"The improved environmental quality demanded by the public will require investment in wastewater treatment, solid waste management, sustainable public transport, and clean, renewable energy systems - all of which are critical to the economic and environmental future of the region."
Extract from Asian Development Bank (ADB)
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Asia Has Become Home To The World’s Fastest Growing Cities
Africa now has a larger urban population than North America and has 25 of the world's fastest growing large cities. Half of the world's urban population now lives in Asia, which also has half of the world's largest cities and fastest growing large cities. Europe's share of the world's 100 largest cities has fallen from more than half to under ten per cent in the past century. It now has none of the world's 100 fastest growing cities and most of its declining ones.
These are among the findings published by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in the 2007 edition of its analysis of urban change.The research highlights the gap between rapid urban growth and government capacity to plan and manage it in most of Africa, Asia and Latin America, particularly in light of climate change.
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The world's urban map is rapidly being redrawn," says the paper's author David Satterthwaite, a senior fellow in IIED’s human settlements group. "Most of Europe's great centres of industry are no longer among the world's largest cities and most of the future growth in urban areas globally will be in low and middle income countries."
"How these centres grow will have huge implications for efforts to reduce poverty," he adds. "This will also influence whether disasters linked to climate change can be avoided and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced."
The analysis dispels some myths and reveals some surprising findings:
- Many of the world's largest cities now have more people moving out than in.
- The world's urban population is not concentrated in large and 'mega-cities' (far more people live in smaller urban centres of under a million inhabitants).
- The speed of urban growth has been exaggerated in low and middle income countries, particularly African ones.
"Urbanisation is often attributed to an urban bias in government and aid agency policies, but there is little evidence to support these claims," says Satterthwaite. "In fact, these policies leave much to be desired as they tend to neglect the urban poor, leading to high levels of urban poverty, overcrowding in slums and serious health problems."
"Governments should see urbanisation as an important part of a stronger economy and their expanding urban population as an asset, not as a problem," he says.
Worldwide, a billion people live in low-quality tenements or squatter settlements with inadequate water and sanitation.
Economic growth is the dominant driver of urbanisation in most nations. The largest cities and much of the world’s urban population are concentrated in the world’s largest economies, and there is a strong association between a nation’s wealth and level of urbanisation.
Satterthwaite warns however against broad generalisations: "Despite the underlying economic foundation to urban growth, the form it takes is shaped by political and social factors at a local or national level.""Most of the ten-fold increase in the world's urban population over the past century was in low and middle income countries," he says.
"Most of these nations lack the institutional, legal and financial systems needed to manage rapid urban change over the next 15 years in a way that addresses urban poverty and the risks associated with climate change."
"Many governments still see urban growth as something they should try and stop. But urban growth does not have to mean urban problems," says Satterthwaite.
"Many governments still see urban growth as something they should try and stop. But urban growth does not have to mean urban problems," says Satterthwaite.
Extract from International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
Close Up
Tapping e-waste Business Overseas
Local recycling players are venturing abroad as demand for their services grows. Chuang Peck Ming looks at their selling points.
China is today widely recognised as the factory of the world. Less well known, it is also the world's dumping ground for unwanted electronic gadgets.
Extract from Singapore International Series by IE Singapore and The Business Times
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A Chance To Get Filthy Rich In China
China's booming economy is boosting income, spreading urbanisation and sprouting mega cities which will produce more waste.
Aware of the deteriorating environment, the Chinese government in 2003 moved to tighten laws for cleaner production and waste control. A national programme was established to expand capacity for dealing with hazardous and medical wastes in the same year. More recently, a "green strategy" has been adopted to step up efficiency in resource use, reduce pollution cost in production, encourage green consumption, develop new energy resources, and to create a balanced ecological environment.
Extract from Singapore International Series by IE Singapore and The Business Times
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