Asia in action toward green transition: report

BOAO, Hainan -- Asian countries are moving in a swift and responsible manner in response to the call for a green transition arising from the steady stream of extreme climate events, according to a report released by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Wednesday.

By the end of 2021, 25 Asian countries had made net-zero pledges, said the BFA's Sustainable Development: Asia and the World Annual Report 2022.

Aiming to enhance green governance, governments in Asian countries have taken measures including setting up high-level leading groups and committees overseeing the formulation and implementation of national net-zero strategies, defining decarbonization goals and drawing up roadmaps to meet these targets, as well as establishing carbon emission trading systems, according to the report.

Asian countries sustained global mobilization for green and sustainable finance despite the COVID-19 pandemic, as climate finance for Asia in 2020 accounted for around 50 percent of the global total, compared to 17 percent for Western Europe and 13 percent for the United States and Canada, the report said, citing the latest estimates from the Climate Policy Initiative.

The Asia-Pacific region ranked second in green bond issuance, accounting for 22.6 percent of the global total in 2021, while out of those bonds issued in Asia, 39 percent were denominated in the Chinese currency renminbi, according to the report.

Capital market solutions for green finance have also been developed in Asia, it said, highlighting the tightened regulatory requirements and standard-setting and the role of multilateral development banks in promoting green finance.

In terms of green technology, Asia-Pacific is a mature region in the global wind power market and Asia continued to drive new solar photovoltaic installations in 2020, the report said.

Asian companies are ambitious in the fight against climate change, with 440 of them signing up to the Science-Based Targets initiative, it said. These businesses have utilized multiple means of green transition including switching to renewable energy and setting sustainability governance structures.