The Year 2012 Saw a Surge in the Use of Cars and Motorcycles in Asia, and Traffic Deaths Followed
Transport planners, engineers, and sustainable transport advocates need to find the best examples of safe and efficient transport policies and move them to wide-spread replication.
Take Action to Address Air Pollution in Beijing
In Beijing, government vehicles were temporarily removed from the roads and some factory output stopped to address air pollution.
No Impact Week ― The Carbon ‘Cleanse’ Challenge
Starting 22 February, Asian Development Bank (ADB) is holding its second No Impact Week challenge for individuals to cut their carbon footprint, following the success of the pilot event in January 2013.
Impact Evaluations Crucial for Effective Public Policy
Asian countries are increasingly turning to investing in dedicated development programs rather than relying entirely on economic growth to deliver better social outcomes. Evaluations of their actual impact have not always accompanied such decision making, but where they have, it has made a key difference.
Walkability—Building Cities for People Too
With the urban population swelling the world over, it makes sense that we start—or go back to—designing cities for people too. People are a city’s principal raison d'etre.
Window of Opportunity Still Open on Climate Action
A set of reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the last of which was released on November 2, 2014, sets the scene for governments to renew their efforts on the issue through ambitious commitments for a comprehensive climate agreement in Paris in December 2015.
Will the Green Climate Fund Pledges Create a Momentum for Ongoing Climate Negotiations?
The recent formal pledging session for the Green Climate Fund (GCF)—more than $9 billion in just 5 months—is by far the most successful resource mobilization ever seen for a multilateral climate fund. The US has pledged $3 billion, followed by Japan ($1.5 billion), UK ($1.13 billion), and Germany and France (with $1 billion each). Four developing countries—Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, and Panama—have made pledges, breaking the traditional donor boundaries.
Will We See an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015?
Launched as a political bloc and security pact in the aftermath of the Viet Nam War, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has evolved to embrace an ambitious economic agenda. Its latest project is to establish the ASEAN Economic Community by 31 December 2015. But is this likely?
Will Asian Investment Follow Trade with Latin America?
Latin America is now firmly on the economic radar of Asia in the post-global financial crisis world, with both regions having grown faster than the world economy.
Working in Conflict-Affected Areas – The Myanmar Experience
ADB is committed to finance the last stretch of a regional transport corridor that includes a road passing through Myanmar’s restive Kayin State. It would have been easier for ADB to simply avoid a conflict-affected area, but we did not shy away from the challenge.