Asia Pacific‘s leading platform for sustainable development
11. Sustainable cities and communities
More than half of the world’s population now live in urban areas. By 2050, that figure will have risen to 6.5 billion people – two-thirds of all humanity. Extreme poverty is often concentrated in urban spaces, and national and city governments struggle to accommodate the rising population in these areas. Making cities safe and sustainable means ensuring access to safe and affordable housing, and upgrading slum settlements. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces.
Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities is supported by ABB
News
Corporate Responsibility
Extreme weather could drive US$450 billion in losses in Asia Pacific: analysis
Flooding alone is projected to wipe out US$286 billion in value across the region over the short and longer term, the latest CDP analysis shows, as companies warn that damage to production capacity, cash flows and vital infrastructure could cascade to Asia Pacific’s economies.
Experts think a lack of flexibility in China’s grids could undercut potential efficiency gains from artificial intelligence.
As nuclear energy returns, the government, universities and companies are training the next generation of engineers to operate and regulate it.
High oil and gas prices don’t drive coal consumption in China, while mining companies have no incentive to increase output further.
Opinion
Policy & Finance
Fossil fuel investments are a fiduciary risk
The Iran war has reminded everyone, but especially Africans, of the structural instability of fossil-fuel prices. For African trustees, directors, asset managers, and other fiduciaries, the question is not whether capital should reposition, but whether institutions will act before events compel them to do so.
Policy & Finance
Sustainable economies will own the future
The Covid-19 pandemic and the wars in Ukraine and Iran have reframed the issue of sustainability, which is now as much about sovereignty and economic security as it is about planetary health. Countries and companies that fail to recognise this have everything to lose in the coming years.
While tensions around the Strait of Hormuz are rattling global oil markets, energy security is no longer defined solely by access to fossil fuels. What China has understood, and Europe has not, is that security now depends on electricity systems that can deliver low-cost power at scale and support heavy industry.
New research finds urban trees can cut city heat almost in half, though unequal tree cover and rising temperatures mean greening alone will not shield cities from worsening climate extremes.
Policy & Finance
Beyond green extractivism: Asean's security depends on justice
Food & Agriculture
How Asean can reduce its heavy dependence on imported agricultural inputs
Cities
Why slums persist
Videos
Carbon & Climate
‘Resilience is not a buzzword’: Palm oil leaders call for industry reset amid global shocks
In the inaugural episode of Eco-Business's new Resilience podcast series, industry leaders say the palm oil sector's ability to weather disruption will depend not on certification alone, but on rethinking the relationships that underpin the entire supply chain.
Exclusive
Tune in to this webinar where our guest speakers discuss the region's plastic crisis, the state of play on the Global Plastics Treaty and circular economy strategies for businesses.
The impact documentary exploring Asia's mounting waste crisis – and its solutions – is now streaming exclusively for Eco-Business subscribers.
In the latest episode of the Climate Tech in Asia series, we speak to Breakthrough Energy and Green COP about what the shifting geopolitical landscape means for the climate tech ecosystem in Asia.
Podcasts
Amid back‑to‑back trash slides and a landfill fire in one of Southeast Asia’s leakiest waste systems, Philippine environment undersecretary Jonas Leones touts new science‑based safeguards for a waste‑to‑energy buildout in the country.
Carbon & Climate
Jeffrey Sachs: China is unequivocally the world’s climate power today. Asean’s opportunity is next.
Exclusive
The economist and president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network told the Eco-Business Podcast how China’s green industrial and financial capabilities can help accelerate Southeast Asia's transition to net zero.
The head of waste management non-profit Ocean Recovery Alliance tells the EB Podcast that recycled content mandates will drive the circular economy better than caps on virgin plastic production. Brands should be pressured more than petrochemical producers to phase out unnecessary plastics, he says.
Green Buildings
Are our climate targets too weak or too ambitious? Hang Lung Properties’ sustainability chief John Haffner
Having "stretch targets" can spur innovation, says the sustainability chief for one of Hong Kong's largest real estate firms in the latest episode of "On the frontlines". He also shares why the firm has chosen to publish the draft of its net zero plan for open discussion of its climate targets.
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