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- Volume 30, Issue 1, 2023
Asia-Pacific Sustainable Development Journal - Volume 30, Issue 1, 2023
Volume 30, Issue 1, 2023
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Editorial
I am pleased to present the first issue of the Asia-Pacific Sustainable Development Journal (APSDJ, vol. 30, No.1) for 2023. The issue comes out at a critical juncture when the region is confronted with the challenges of changed global circumstances while still recovering from the devastations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic amid ongoing climate change-induced existential threats.
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Accelerating climate action in Asia and the Pacific for Sustainable Development
The Asia-Pacific region is in urgent need for enhanced climate ambition and action. Climate change-induced disasters, e.g., heatwaves, droughts, typhoons and floods, are increasingly undermining hard-won development gains. This paper provides a brief assessment of the region’s vulnerability and sets out the transformations needed for a net-zero carbon future in support of sustainable development. It recommends building regional frameworks or partnerships to support decarbonizing key sectors – energy, transport and industry – and improve enabling conditions, such as financing and monitoring. Multistakeholder cooperation on broad national policies and long-term strategies is also needed for the low-carbon and climateresilient transition.
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Thematic Section: Green Transition and National Efforts towards Net-Zero Target: Analysis of the 2030 emissions reduction targets of the previous and current nationally determined contributions of Japan, and a comparison between countries using energy-technology and energy-economic models
The Paris Agreement requires each participating country to prepare its nationally determined contributions (NDCs). In 2020, Japan submitted a 26 per cent emissions reduction target for 2030, and resubmitted a 46 per cent target (relative to 2013) in 2021. This paper provides an assessment of the Japanese emissions reduction efforts vis-à-vis other NDCs and international comparisons among countries using several different indicators. The carbon dioxide marginal abatement costs in Japan are expected to be approximately $450/tCO2 eq in 2030, which is consistent with the 1.5°C pathways. Costs in the European and North American countries are at similar levels.
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Assessment of the enhanced nationally determined contributions of the Republic of Korea and the strategies for the 2050 net-zero target
The Republic of Korea has made a net-zero pledge and submitted enhanced nationally determined contributions (NDCs), targeting a 40 per cent reduction in gashouse emissions by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. This article provides a review of the country’s mitigation progress by evaluating its NDCs and 2050 net-zero commitments. Three key challenges are identified: limited time window to meet the targets; energy transition difficulties; transforming carbon-intensive industries. A SWOT analysis informs strategic directions in four areas: accelerating low-carbon transitions in key sectors; enhancing mitigation policy effectiveness in building stakeholder consensus on transition costs; bolstering international cooperation for carbon neutrality.
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The transition of China to a low-emission future: The role of clean coal technologies
The “30-60” catchphrase in China refers to the commitment of China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The 30-60 goal is a challenge, but it offers opportunities for the country’s sustainable future. By using Integrated energy and environment policy assessment modelling, an assessment of the energy strategies and policy regimes for the country’s energy transition by 2050 is conducted. Based on the results, it can be argued that coal will remain an important part of the transition pathway, and hence clean coal technology development is critical.
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What to focus on in order to accelerate access to modern energy services and energy use efficiency in Bangladesh
How can a rapidly growing country, such as Bangladesh, overcome the barriers to realizing Sustainable Development Goal 7? The present study includes an analysis of the barriers to achieving 24x7 access to modern energy and the required improvements to make energy more efficient to overcome them in Bangladesh. Interpretive structural modeling (ISM) is applied to identify the interactions among the barriers as laid out in context-relevant scientific literature. The Cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) is applied to classify the barriers. The results indicate that the barriers can be addressed through a systematic packaging and prioritization approach.
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Identification and prioritization of barriers to access international climate finance for Nepal
This study covers perceived and prioritized barriers to access climate funds, using Nepal as a case for least developed countries. A comprehensive picture of the climate finance flow in Nepal is presented and barriers to access international climate finance are identified. These barriers are prioritized based on their importance and potentials to be removed. Out of the 63 identified barriers, most prominent ones are inadequate ministerial coordination, limited evidence-based research and limited understanding of public–private partnerships. Despite some successes in accessing climate finance, key challenges remain. Among them are low disbursement, inadequate information-base and limited choice of financial instruments.
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Policy paper: Aligning critical mineral development in the Asia-Pacific region with the Sustainable Development Goals
The low-carbon energy transition will create significant demand for critical minerals. The extraction and processing of these minerals creates challenges for sustainable development, particularly in Asia and the Pacific, a major supplier and consumer of these inputs. Diverse supply chains in the world trade of critical raw materials mean fragmented and sometime insufficient approaches to align the extraction of critical raw materials with the Sustainable Development Goals, and accordingly, international cooperation must increase. This presents opportunities for the United Nations to do more to align the development of critical raw materials with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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Submitted papers: How successful were the least developed countries in attaining the Millennium Development Goals? An assessment based on a synthetic approach
The present paper used a synthetic approach to create a composite of two indices to measure countries’ progress toward attaining global development goals. The technique assesses the performance of least developed countries (LDCs) in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The results indicate that by the end of 2015, progress was uneven across indicators, with Asian countries performing better. The LDCs that performed better based on the assessment, progressed closer towards graduating from the LDC group. The synthetic, analytical approach proposed for this paper can be applied to measure countries' comparative progress towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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Growth, yield and environmental sustainability of cotton production in India: Performance and policy measures
This paper reviews the growth performance, potential and environmental sustainability of cotton production in India. Using a decomposition analysis, it provides a comprehensive picture of growth in the production of cotton from 1947 to 2021 and during various development phases. It also discusses the environmental sustainability of Bt cotton and the potential of organic cotton farming in addressing the challenges faced by cotton growers. The results from this study can be used to inform policymakers in framing policies to exploit the potential of this sector, to generate additional employment and preserve the sustainability in cotton production.
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Early Career Researcher: Development of Asia-Pacific countries: Does Belt and Road Initiative make any difference?
Using annual data for the period 2000−2019, the paper reviews economic progress in Asia-Pacific countries and assesses whether the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) contributes to this trend. Based on selected development indicators and their trends before and after the announcement of the Initiative, the findings confirm significant trade expansion associated with growing connectivity achieved through infrastructure finance from China to BRI economies vis-à-vis their non-BRI counterparts. The rising trade ties are associated with output growth, contributing to the development trajectories of BRI countries and bringing some modest positive spillover effects to non-BRI members. Policy implications are proposed accordingly.
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