Asia's economic growth bolsters climate change: ADB

Asia's rapid economic growth in recent years has contributed significantly to climate change and environmental pollution, the head of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned on Tuesday.

In response to this, "it is imperative that we escalate our efforts to put the region on a path of low-carbon growth," bank president Haruhiko Kuroda told an ADB forum on climate change.

"Rapid development has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty while bringing the region as a whole to higher living standards. Along with this economic expansion, however, has been a rise in environmental pollution including greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

He said the developing countries of Asia now account for one-third of global emissions brought about by energy consumption, deforestation and land use.

"Unless measures are taken now, Asia's share of global greenhouse gas emissions could increase to more than 40 percent by 2030," he said.

The ADB was trying to address this and had provided almost 1.7 billion dollars for "projects with clean energy components," including wind power projects in China and India, he said.

Asian countries are also seeking ways to stimulate growth without hurting the environment, "including development of renewable energy and other environmentally sustainable technologies," he said.

Speaking at the same conference, Eric Hall, a spokesman for the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said there were "encouraging signals," that a historic pact on climate change would emerge on schedule in Copenhagen in December.

He said many developing countries had already made their own plans to cut emissions but that developing countries will want an equal voice with the wealthier nations on how the climate change can be mitigated without hurting their economic growth.

"We still have quite a way to go," Hall told reporters.

Meanwhile a group of protesters from environmental group Greenpeace picketed the forum.

They charged that the ADB was not really fighting climate change because it was still funding projects that use fossil fuels.

MANILA, AFP