|
Links
Asia's Future: Agriculture & Land Use
(agricultural biotech; aquaculture; biofuels; food security; forestry; irrigation/ water use; land management; land use & agricultural policy; livestock; real estate; sustainable agriculture)
Competition among various land uses will be one of the most significant trends affecting Asia’s environment over the next 20 years. Foreign enterprises are increasingly investing in land ownership and land use rights in the region for agriculture, harvest of natural resources, tourism, biofuels and other industries, often competing with domestic ownership, investment and livelihoods. Although technology continues to improve agricultural yields, foreign exports and other uses for land, as well as access to adequate water supplies are increasingly affecting food security in these countries.
Asia's Future: Economy & Trade
(economic policy; enterprise development; financial markets & institutions; foreign investment; global & regional trade; microenterprise; privatization; tourism; wealth & poverty)
Asia has very successfully embraced increased globalization of markets and international trade, leading to both foreign investment and rapid economic development and accruing wealth. With rising incomes comes greater pressures on natural resources and increased waste generation. But greater integration with global markets and trade also means that this region will be significantly affected by ups and downs of the global economy.
Asia's Future: Energy & Climate Change
(biofuels, energy use and generation, electrification, transportation, fossil fuels; climate change projections; mitigation; adaptation)
The outcomes of the negotiations for a post-Kyoto climate change regime will influence how energy is used and generated in Asia. Rapid economic development is greatly increasing energy demand in the region, causing these countries to explore the least expensive and most rapid ways to produce it. At the same time, domestic companies are competing with foreign investors for sources of fossil fuels and land for biofuels. But with so much of this region close to sea level and some 80% of its population living near the coasts, these countries are especially vulnerable to rising sea levels, floods and increased storms from climate change. Both addressing climate change and finding ways for the region to leapfrog to green energy production in the next decades will be critical.
Asia's Future: Environmental Impacts & Management
(Pollution –water, air, land; environmental regulation; enforcement & compliance; pollution prevention; environmental sustainability)
Rising incomes and expanding economic development inevitably result in greatly increased volumes of waste and pollution, significantly straining the capacity to dispose of it safely. In many countries, untreated industrial and residential waste is being discharged directly into rivers and the ocean, causing serious problems with disease, water purification, and contaminated fisheries. Atmospheric brown clouds from air pollution are already contributing to melting of glaciers that serve as water sources for the region, as well as altering rainfall patterns across the region. Increased production of electronic components for export brings its own toxic waste byproducts requiring safe disposal.
Asia's Future: Security & Conflict Management
(Legal & institutional development & reform; decentralization; legislation; political developments; political instability; ethnic conflict; regional conflict; environmental conflict)
As in other places of the world, competition for resources—food, water, land and energy—unless managed carefully, could threaten political stability and security. These can be exacerbated by historical and ethnic conflicts in the region, as well as by outside influences. Several countries in the region are experimenting with decentralization of responsibility for management of natural resources, bringing both opportunities and challenges.
Asia's Future: Society & Population
(Diseases, population growth, migration, urbanization, sanitation; water supply, women in development;
disaster mitigation & response?; education.)
Although population growth rates are falling in most Asian countries, for many, the population will continue to grow for some decades due to the large percentages of youth. Much of Asia is taking advantage of this abundant labor to produce goods for export, fueling economic development. As a result this growth is driving significant migration to urban areas. But growing populations and urbanization require increased infrastructure and services—including clean water supply, waste management, education, health care, and disaster mitigation. All of these are not only difficult to develop on a short time frame, but also expensive.
Asia's Future: Natural Resources & Biodiversity
(conservation & management; forests; natural resource use, sustainable use; wildlife; marine resources; marine fisheries & mariculture)
The rich natural resources of the region are under increasing pressures, both domestic and foreign, for energy, food and industrial production. Demand for land to grow biofuels (such as palm oil plantations) threatens forest resources and their rich biodiversity. International trade in wildlife products, both terrestrial and marine, much of it illegal, creates a serious threat to the endemic and increasingly rare species of the region. Freshwater and marine fisheries face rising demand, and threats from land-based pollution, degradation and over harvest. All of these trends occur within the changing environment resulting from climate change, such as altered rainfall patterns, melting glaciers, higher temperatures, warming seas and ocean acidification.
Asia's Future: Science & Technology
(Biotechnology; IT; large-scale infrastructure; dams; science education; scientific research; etc.)
Among the most positive trends affecting Asia’s future are developments in science and technology. Developments in biotechnology stand ready to advance agricultural and biofuel production, as well as health care. Asia is at the global forefront of technology manufacturing, especially in information technology and electronics. While these are drivers of economic development, they also introduce problems of disposing industrial and hazardous wastes, as well as the need for increased sources of energy. Hydroelectric dams on the major rivers of the region, especially the Mekong, are intended to provide new sources of much-needed electricity, but threaten the many other uses of the rivers, including water supply, irrigation, fishing, aquaculture, and biodiversity.
|
|
RSS Feeds