Can Asia go Green?

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Can Asia go Green?

25 Jan 2009

Four speakers outline their views on the capability of the developing Asian countries - with an emphasis on China and India - to go to green. The consensus is that Asian countries have the motivation, the technology and the will to switch their economies to rely on sustainable sources and reduce emissions, but that the West must help them, share technology with them, and – perhaps most importantly – show that they are also making an effort to go green.

Christine Loh begins by explaining how the concept of 'development' for Asian countries is often misunderstood by the West. When people from developing countries talk about development, they are referring to what Westerners would call basic amenities – clean, running water, education, and healthcare. Loh suggests that Asia can go Green, but that it will involve more than just the sharing of technology on the West's part – the West has to be prepared to share the wealth of its institutional experience and agree to help put in place a sustainable energy infrastructure.

Malini Mehra explains how important it is that Asian countries successfully shift their economies to be dependent upon more sustainable, and cleaner, fuels. Asia is home to the largest proportion of the world's population, both rich and poor, and this proportion is only likely to increase in the future. She sees India and China leading the way forward. China in particular has demonstrated a progressive outlook to developing renewables and developing clean-coal technology. However, she strikes a cautionary note: Asia cannot go green alone. It will take the full co-operation of more developed nations.

Following on from Malini Mehra's Talk, Isabel Hilton is more cautious about China's determination to go green. Just as people in the West ask why they should use less energy when the Chinese are building one coal-fired power station per week, the Chinese don't see why they should have to pay for the past sins of the developing nations – in other words why they should be the ones to solve the problem the West created. Ultimately, Hilton concludes, China's ability to go green might depend on the willingness of more developed countries to share their technology with them.

Svati Bhogle calls for a more localised approach to stopping global warming, citing the projects honoured by the Ashden Awards as good examples of what can be achieved. The rich, developed countries, she says, are always searching for a big fix, but the real solution lies in combining several more localised solutions. She concludes that Asia is fully capable of switching to sustainable energy, but that it cannot be expected to make the transition if the richer nations aren’t also doing the same.