The rise of Asia as described by Mr Kishore Mahbubani’s new book, The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East, can be attributed to Asia learning from Western wisdom and best practices. The rise of Asia is felt and seen throughout the world, and resulted in a shift of economic and political power to the East. But with great power comes great responsibility. Having achieved greater power, Asia needs to take up greater responsibility now. Asia has to stop learning bad practices and blaming others, and start being responsible and take care of the environment while growing economies and improving lives.

Asian countries have achieved tremendous success and greater economic and political power because they adopted good practices from the West. But if they also adopt the bad practices (such as excessive consumption, emphasis on profits over the environment, massive environmental degradation) from the West, then they could undo their hard-earned success and power. We have seen how the West faces environmental problems due to their wanton growth and consumption. And now countries such as China and India are facing the same problems. Asia must learn from past mistakes and be selective in adopting practices from the West, and not follow them lock, stock and barrel.

In addition, Asian countries can’t keep on blaming the Western developed countries for causing environmental problems such as global warming. Yes, it is the pursuit of economic growth by the developed countries that caused the problems and they should be the ones to take responsibility and clear up the mess. Since they have enjoyed the fruits of their economic success, they do not have the right to ask Asian countries to limit their economic growth and curb consumption, unless they do so first. This reasoning sounds right but will do Asia no good. Asian countries can’t continue blaming others and not take action themselves.

With great power comes great responsibility. The rise of Asia should also see Asia taking on more responsibilities to improve and protect the environment. Only then can Asia claim to be a true global power.

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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recently published the Asian Water Development Outlook 2007, which discusses the current situation in water management in Asia, and the future challenges and solutions. The report is available for download at the ADB website. We share some key points from the report.

The misconception on the scarcity of water in Asian developing member countries (DMCs):

We can confidently predict, on the basis of current assessments of water resources, expected water demands of the future, available technology, knowledge, and experience, that Asian DMCs should not experience, or expect, a crisis in the future because of physical scarcity of water.

The problem is not about scarcity but management of water: 

It is likely that if there will be a water crisis in the future, it will not come because of actual physical scarcity of water, as many predict at present, but because of continuing neglect of proper wastewater management practices. Continuation of the present trend will make available water sources increasingly more contaminated, and will make provision of clean water more and more expensive, as well as more complex and difficult to manage.

Climate change will make water management more difficult:

… climate change is likely to introduce high levels of risks and uncertainties that the water profession simply may not be able to handle with any degree of confidence, at least over the near term. All this will make efficient water planning and management an exceedingly complex and difficult task during the post-2025 period.

Some requirements for better water managment:

… solving the water problems of the future will require additional skills, innovative approaches, and new mindsets. It will also require a more holistic approach that can successfully coordinate the energy, food, environment, and industrial policies of a nation, all of which have intimate linkages to water. Each will affect the others and, in turn, be affected by the others.

… there are two key needs to make measurable progress. One is to collect better quality and more comprehensive data, especially from water utilities, so that real problem areas can be pinpointed. … The other is to implement and enforce existing policies and legislation - policy development is not the issue. This can only happen if there is accountability and a strong regulation/monitoring regime in place.

Source: Asian Water Development Outlook 2007. Image attribution: Asian Water Development Outlook 2007.

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Bangkok-Manila-Jakarta-Dhaka - Global warming is set to reverse decades of social and economic progress across Asia, home to more than four billion people or 60 per cent of the world’s population, according to a new multi-agency report published today called ‘Up in Smoke: Asia and the Pacific.’

The report–the fourth in a series, compiled by more than 35 development and environmental groups including Oxfam and Greenpeace–says there is growing consensus about the huge challenges facing Asia. However it notes “reason to hope” that there is now enough knowledge about the causes of climate change, how the world must tackle it, and how people in Asia must continue to adapt to it. Immediate action is vital, it says. Read the rest

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The Eco-Products 2007 - Eco Style Fair will be held in Tokyo from 13th to 15th December. This annual exhibition is Japan’s largest environmental and eco fair, showcasing the latest eco-friendly products, services and technologies. Around 160,000 people are expected to attend this exhibition, which has about 600 companies and organisations participating in 1,200 booths. Check out the Eco-Products website for more details on the exhibition.

To provide a guide for the Eco-Products exhibition, Japan for Sustainability (JFS) introduced the Eco-Products Navigator 2007 blog to give more information on products and companies in this year’s exhibition. The blog also contains information, pictures and movies for past exhibitions. And to help foreign participants, JFS is conducting free English guided tours during the exhibition. More details on the tours at the JFS website.

Those who are interested to attend the exhibition in Japan can drop us an email, maybe we can help to organise a group.

Source: Japan for Sustainability; Eco-Products 2007. Image attribution: Copyright Eco-Products 2007.

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(Just for fun, rest assure that the carbon credits from CDM projects are not earned in the above manner.)

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was discussed in our previous article. We are encouraged by the interest and participation of China and India in the CDM projects. However, the other Asian countries are still not making full use of the CDM to get funding and technology to reduce their emissions. Some information that we obtained from the Carbon Forum Asia 2007 is shown below.

The UNFCCC CDM website reported that there are 844 registered projects and 53 requesting registration, and more than 2600 projects in the pipeline. Of the registered projects, 61% is implemented in Asia and the Pacific (34% is implemented in India, 16% in China, 2% each in Malaysia and Korea). The expected average annual CERs from the registered projects amount to about 174,268,851 and 45% is generated by China while India generates 16%. Together, India and China takes up 50% of the CDM registered projects and generates 61% of the annual CERs.

The UNEP Risoe Centre reported that for the other 2600 projects in the pipeline, 73% is in Asia and the Pacific. The number of CDM projects in Asia by country are as follows: China (44%); India (40%); Malaysia (4%); Indonesia (3%); Philippines (2%); South Korea (2%); Thailand (2%); Vietnam (1%); Sri Lanka (1%) and Others (1%). The expected volume of CERs until 2012 in Asia is generated mostly from China (66%) and India (19%).

The above figures show that China and India host most of the CDM projects in Asia and the world, and most of the CERs is expected to be from China. The other countries in Asia are still lacking behind in the CDM market and some speakers attribute it to the lack of knowledge and awareness of CDM among the governments and private companies, and also the lack of financial support. Those countries can learn from China, especially on China’s role in CDM and carbon trading, and on how China use the profits generated for tackling climate change.

Source: UNFCCC CDM website; UNEP Risoe Centre; China.org.cn; Xinhua News Agency. Image attribution: WillyFeng.

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Now you can learn more about the environment and sustainability in Japan! We are pleased to announce that we will be publishing more environmental news and articles from Japan. This is thanks to Japan for Sustainability, who has given us permission to republish their articles in AsiaIsGreen. Japan has always taken the lead in environmental protection and sustainability, and we can learn much from the Japanese. Read more about Japan for Sustainability from their introduction below or check out their website.

About Japan for Sustainability (JFS)

Japan for Sustainability is a non-profit organization. We share information on developments and activities originating in Japan that lead toward sustainability, with the aim of building momentum toward a sustainable path for the world.

Japan for Sustainability (JFS) does the following activities:

• Provides a variety of information on the environment and sustainability, from Japan to the world, via our web site and e-mail magazines.
• Covers not only current developments but also traditional wisdom, craftsmanship and practices of day-to-day life, as well as local activities.
• Works to develop special partnerships with people in Asia, in order to cooperate to find paths toward sustainability in this region.
• Welcomes feedback and comments from overseas and shares them in Japan and with partners in Asia, so that we can improve efforts and activities in this region by learning from each other.
• Creates a vision for a sustainable Japan through discussion among various stakeholders.

JFS Projects

1) Kids’ “Create Your Future” Website

JFS has launched their Kids’ “Create Your Future” Website with an aim to encourage children worldwide to take interest in and gain an understanding of environmental issues, and to think and act independently in response. Through this site, we emphasize the concept of taking a creative approach toward the realization of a more ecological future on our planet unrestrained by conventional ideas, and we aim to introduce innovative ways of thinking to support concrete methods for sustainable living.

2) The JFS Indicator Project

JFS has chosen 20 headline indicators for sustainability based on an analysis of over 200 data sets in several sustainability-related categories. This is the first ever numerical evaluation / trial calculation of national sustainability for Japan, undertaken by citizen volunteers through open discussion and study sessions to achieve a more sustainable Japanese society. The results obtained compared across time periods between 1990 vis-a-vis and a hypothetical perfect score of 100 projected for 2050 which is based on the model-”Japan in 2050, moving closer towards a sustainable society”.

3) Daiwa - JFS Sustainability College

The 21st century is shaping up as the era of the environment. A concern about environmental issues has led to emergence of the idea of sustainability, which is expanding as the most important concept of today. Under the circumstances, JFS opened “Daiwa-JFS Sustainability College” in partnership with Daiwa Securities Group, aiming at boosting awareness and facilitating actions of the young people who will lead the next generation in Japan as well as enhancing sustainability in society as a whole.

Contact JFS

1-13-1-205, Mita, Tama-ku

JP-Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 214-0034/Japan

E-mail: info@japanfs.org

Internet: http://www.japanfs.org

Contact person: Noriko Sakamoto

Note

JFS Uses Green Power for Its Energy Requirements: The Green Power Certification System is a scheme in Japan that offers a new way for companies and organizations to voluntarily engage in energy conservation and environmental protection. Participants earmark their electricity consumption to be supplied from power produced from renewable energy, and do not have to invest directly in equipment and facilities. In return, they receive a Certificate of Green Power that certifies them for embracing the benefits of renewable energy, namely, energy conservation and the reduction of CO2 emissions.

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We are now offering a free basic listing package in our AsiaIsGreen Directory for companies that provide green products and services in Singapore and Asia. Our directory is Singapore’s first and only online green business directory, where consumers and businesses can easily find out more about green products and services. When companies list in the directory or advertise, they are actually targeting their potential customers more effectively as visitors to our website are more environmentally conscious.

Check out our listing and advertising packages! (pdf 33 kb, revised 5 Oct 07)

Before placing an order to list or advertise, please read our Terms and Conditions. If you agree to the Terms and Conditions, please email us your desired package and the necessary details to eugene@asiaisgreen.com.

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We are in the process of creating the AsiaIsGreen Directory - Singapore’s first and only online green business directory. We aim to showcase companies that provide a wide range of green products and services in Singapore and Asia. At this moment, we are still sourcing for companies to list on our directory so you may not find what you want. We hope that you can be patient with us as we work hard to build up this directory and give you more choices.

There is growing environmental awareness in Singapore and Asia where more people and companies are trying to go green and reduce their impact on the environment. They want to use environmentally-friendly products and services to help them do so. However, it is sometimes frustrating or troublesome to find information on green products and services. Some do not know where to start or cannot find them.

Therefore, our directory provides a one-stop website where consumers and businesses can easily find out more about green products and services. We also want to help the companies that offer these green products and services to reach out to their customers effectively. Of course, the first step you can do is to use less and buy less. The next step would be to buy green and you can choose from different categories in our directory.

For Advertisers

Our AsiaIsGreen Directory is Singapore’s first and only online green business directory, where consumers and businesses can easily find out more about your green products and services. When you list in the directory or advertise with us, you are actually targeting your potential customers more effectively as visitors to our website are more environmentally conscious.

Check out our listing and advertising packages! (pdf 39 kb)

Before placing an order to list or advertise, please read our Terms and Conditions. If you agree to the Terms and Conditions, please email us your desired package and the necessary details to eugene@asiaisgreen.com.

Photo credit: cobalt123.

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