Widespread environmental degradation in the Asia Pacific could hamper economic growth necessary to combat massive poverty in the region, an Asian Development Bank study released Monday said.
According to the ADB's Asian Environment Outlook (AEO), rapid development in Asia over the last few years was accompanied by "a high environmental cost" leading to deforestation and a loss of 90 percent of the region's original wildlife habitat.
It projected that by the year 2020, over half of Asians would live in cities with the total urban population expected to hit "over a billion" from just 360 million in 1990.
"The region is expected to replace the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries as the world's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions by 2015," the report said.
Air pollution has also become a "major cause of respiratory ailments and premature death to several Asian cities."
Asia's "grow now, clean up later approach" has contributed to the decline in environment quality that would affect mostly the poor.
"The poor are often most directly dependent upon forests, fisheries and other natural resources threatened by depletion and degradation," said Rolf Zeus, chief of the ADB's office of environment and social development.
"The poor are especially vulnerable to lack of access to clean water and inadequate sanitation systems."
The AEO provides in-depth analyses of environmental issues facing the region and proposals to improve the environment and reduce poverty. |
