Major Environmental Concerns

[ Land | Forest | Biodiversity | Water | Marine & Coastal Environments | Urban & Industrial Environments ]

Underlying Causes

[ Social | Economic | Institutional | Environmental ]

The Asia and Pacific region extends from Mongolia in the north to New Zealand in the south and from the Cook Islands in the east to Iran in the west. It embraces the world's largest ocean, the Pacific (165 million square kilometres), as well as the third largest ocean, the Indian (73 million square kilometres), and a range of important seas (ESCAP, 1992; ESCAP, 1995a). It contains three of the largest and most populous countries in the world ( China , India , and Indonesia ), several mountainous and land-locked states (such as Bhutan and Nepal ), and 22 small archipelagic states, territories, and protectorates. With only 23 per cent of the world's total land area, the region is home to about 58 per cent of the world's population (ESCAP, 1992; ESCAP, 1995a).

The economies of this region have witnessed high growth rates in the recent past: in 1994, the total GDP growth was 8.2 per cent (ADB, 1995a). Despite this, poverty persists. Estimates indicate that, of the world's 1.2 billion people who live in absolute poverty (with a per capita income of less than US$1 a day), more than two thirds reside in this region (ADB, 1994a). High population growth is exerting pressure on the environment and on natural resources in the region. Urbanization and industrialization have also had deleterious impacts, leading not only to high pollution loads but also social stress.

The major environmental concerns vary widely across the region. (See Table 2.2.) The major issues include:

• land degradation,
• deforestation,
• declining availability of fresh water and deteriorating water quality, and
• the degradation of marine and coastal resources.

The general recognition in the region is that deforestation, inadequate water supply, and water quality need to be addressed on a priority basis (ADB, 1994a).

In the large megacities of the region, such as Bombay , Bangkok , Jakarta , and Manila , air pollution is an increasingly serious problem. The small island states such as Fiji , Maldives , and Western Samoa are grappling with solid waste disposal problems with irregular and inadequate disposal facilities. Furthermore, the burden on women resulting from environmental degradation needs to be recognized. Women are the primary natural resource managers in developing countries of Asia and the Pacific, yet this important role is often ignored by governments and agencies. They do most of the work to reap food and fuel from the environment to sustain their families. When the environment is degraded, it is the women who first feel the crunch.

United Nations Environment Programme