Environment and Development

Asia and the Pacific is the most disaster-prone region in the world. At the same time the region as a whole contributes to more than half of the global greenhouse gas emissions. With the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the international community committed to keeping the global temperature increase between 1.5 and 2°C above pre-industrial levels and submitted (Intended) Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) towards meeting this objective. However, the emission reductions entailed by the existing NDCs would still lead the world on the path to warming between 3.5 to 4°C. There is an urgent need to raise climate ambition and strengthen climate action in Asia and the Pacific.

Interrelatedly, the climate crisis is intricately tied to air quality. Today, 90% of population in Asia and the Pacific regularly breathe air that is unsafe. By reducing air pollution and the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to it, we address the root drivers of climate change, protecting both the population and the planet from their negative impacts. This improved air quality, in turn, generates immense benefits for human health and our environment.