Developing economies and expanding urban populations in East Asia have seen energy consumption trebled and it will likely continue to rise – the World Bank suggests that renewable energy could in fact contribute a large chunk of the load! But China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam must act now and focus on the transformation, the new World Bank report “A Climate for change in East Asia and the Pacific” states.

Those six major energyThe ability to perform work, mainly kinetic, potential, thermal energy, but also in forms of gravitational, sound, elastic and electromagnetic energy.-using countries have to invest about $80 billion a year and need appropriate domestic policies and institutional reforms in order to attain a sustainable energy growth. The good news is that the report finds that those countries can stabilize their greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 as well as create growth through additional fiscal investment in renewable energyRenewable energy is power generated from infinite sources, such as wind or solar power. Conventional energy is generated from finite sources, such as natural gas or fossil oil. and energy efficiencyUsing less energy/electricity to perform the same function. Programs designed to use electricity more efficiently - doing the same with less..

$25 billion of the total investment will have to be taken on by the international community, with China paying a big chunk of the investment, Dr. Xiaodong Wang, lead author of the report and senior energy specialist at the World Bank said.

At a discussion in Manila Ms. Wang identifies the speed and scale of urbanization as an opportunity unrivalled to built modern, low-carbon cities. But the crucial moment is now, the report stresses that the window of opportunity is closing fast, and relevant decisions and investments have to made now, or else get stuck in an high-carbon infrastructure!

Technically, the major problems are solved already; now it’s all about political will and unprecedented international cooperation to meet the financing needs, Ms. Wang added.

The WBR (World Bank Report) says ACT NOW, ACT TOGETHER and ACT DIFFERENTLY. Act  Now stresses the fact that what we do today shapes tomorrow’s climateClimate is typically defined as the average weather (or more rigorously a statistical description of the average in terms of the mean and variability) over a period of time, usually 30 years. These quantities are most often surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind. Climate ... and limits the choices that will be available in the future. New technologies that are piloted today could determine the future energy and food sources of growing populations. Smart urban planning, with an integrated transportTransport includes all kinds of mobility, like cars, buses and airplanes. system, clean energy supply and green buildings are the right way! Act together addresses rich countries that must take the lead by reducing their own carbon footprints at home and by helping developing countries to finance adaptationAdjustments in human and natural systems, in response to actual or expected climate stimuli or their effects, that moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. (IPPC) to climate change. International support is crucial to protect the most vulnerable people with social assistance programs, to promote the exchange of knowledge, technology and information and to provide financial assistance. Act differently focuses on planning for the future. In the next few decades, the world’s energy systems must be transformed so that global emissionsEmissions of greenhouse gases, greenhouse gas precursors, and aerosols associated with human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, land-use changes, livestock, fertilisation, etc. (IPCC) drop will 50–80%. Infrastructure must be built to cope with new climate extremes. Agricultural productivity and water management need to improve to feed 3 billion more people without further threatening already stressed ecosystemsA system of living organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment. The boundaries of what could be called an ecosystem are somewhat arbitrary, depending on the focus of interest or study. Thus, the extent of an ecosystem may range from very small spatial scales to, ....

The World Bank recommends a mix of energy pricing reforms, financial incentives and regulations such as economy-wide energy intensityEnergy intensity is usually measured as GDP per unit of energy use, and thus describes how much energy an economy needs to produce economic value. For easier comparison of different countries usually the purchasing power parity GDP per kilogram of oil equivalent of energy use is used. targets.

The World Bank tells the international community to help developing nations through soft loans and technology transferThe exchange of knowledge, hardware and associated software, money and goods among stakeholders that leads to the spreading of technology for adaptation or mitigation The term encompasses both diffusion of technologies and technological cooperation across and within countries. (IPCC). The report concludes that the East Asia and Pacific region and the rest of the world must act now, act together, and act differently, before costs go up and people suffer unnecessarily.