Low-carbon economic success possible in Asia and the Pacific, UN official says

Regional cooperation and partnerships among the public, private and civil society could help the Asia and Pacific region lead to the development of a road map to low-carbon economic growth, participants said today at a United Nations forum in China.

“Embracing low-carbon development requires a fundamental change in the way energy is produced and used – opening a potential market of over $9 trillion by 2030 in the Asia-Pacific region alone,” said Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Because this will not happen automatically, “collaboration between the public and the private sector to create markets and grasp the huge business opportunities of low-carbon goods and services should be promoted,” she added.

The Asia-Pacific Business Forum brought together 230 business and government representatives on the theme “Business Opportunities and Low-Carbon Economy,” and was co-organized by ESCAP and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).