Conference on Global Financial Crisis: Environmental Impacts

Background

The current financial crisis and global economic downturn have major implications for Asia's future growth opportunities. Growth potential coming from the US and EU is limited. Therefore, Asia must move to more domestic and regional demand to drive economic growth. It is expected that Asia will thus produce more goods and services and consume them within the region. This requires substantial structural adjustment and regional economic and financial cooperation in Asia. But what do these new sources of growth imply for environmental outcomes in the region, namely climate change? What kinds of adjustments will be needed, including technological, to address the almost certain rise in global emissions that will accompany such a change in regional demand patterns?

ADBI is planning a series of conferences related to the crisis, including identifying its likely impacts on Asian countries, developing scenarios for growth re-balancing away from exports, and developing recommendations related to macroeconomic policy, structural and institutional innovations, regional integration and environmental outcomes. This conference will focus on issues related to the environmental impacts of the crisis, including impacts on sub-national regional economies and changing structural patterns.

Back to Top

Objectives

The conference will review evidence and analysis of the environmental impacts of the global economic and financial crisis and potential industrial restructuring on Asian countries, with the developing appropriate policy responses in the region. The main topics of this conference are:

• Impacts on environment from crisis
• Impacts on environment from potential industrial restructuring and new product development such as green products
• Policy measures to ensure a low carbon society is an integral party of recovery

Back to Top

Outputs

Conference papers
ADBI Research Policy Brief
ADBI Working Papers

Back to Top

Participants

The conference will bring together about 180 participants from the region and development partners. Most participants will be high-level policymakers and officials involved in poverty reduction for the Asia-Pacific region. About 50% of them will come from ASEAN+ countries in East and Southeast Asia, 30% from South Asia, Central Asia and the Pacific, and 20% are sector and thematic experts and senior management from partner development institutions.

Back to Top

Partners

Asian Development Bank headquarters and Viet Nam Resident Mission