This report analyzes future energy market options for Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program members. It aims to facilitate strategic decisions and sustainable investments in energy infrastructure by equipping investors and policy makers with crucial insights on regional trends. It can help identify potential investment opportunities that will improve energy services and reduce carbon emissions across CAREC countries. The report provides forecasts at both individual country and regional levels. It includes energy supply and demand scenarios, assessments of innovative technologies, estimates of investment needs in the energy sector, and possible trajectories for carbon emissions.

This report analyzes future energy market options for Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program members to help facilitate sustainable energy infrastructure investment. The report provides forecasts at individual country and regional levels. It aims to equip investors and policy makers with insights on regional trends to help identify potential investment opportunities that will improve energy services and reduce carbon emissions across CAREC countries. It includes energy supply and demand scenarios, assessments of innovative technologies, estimates of investment needs in the energy sector, and possible trajectories for carbon emissions.

A reliable energy system is the backbone of a modern economy and essential for well-being. This new energy strategy for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program aims to achieve a reliable, sustainable, resilient and reformed energy market by 2030. It discusses how the 11 CAREC countries can improve regional energy connectivity and implement priority reforms to scale up investments and promote green energy. It also proposes measures to empower women in the energy sector and build knowledge through new institutional partnerships.

This report shows how smart trade and investment policies, and regulatory cooperation in the Asia and Pacific region can help economies tackle climate change, recover from the pandemic, and support resilient and sustainable development. Analyzing topics including global value chains, investment, the movement of people, and regional cooperation initiatives, it outlines the economic and environmental challenges the region currently faces. It explores how trade and investment policies can support climate action and highlights why a joined-up approach is essential to help deepen the digital economy, strengthen supply chains and foster greener businesses, markets, and trade.

This technical note explains why countries should cement strong public private partnerships (PPP) to help bridge deep funding gaps and build the climate-resilient infrastructure they need. It analyzes how the pandemic and government worries over value for money have combined with business’ concerns over investment risk to dampen regional PPP deals. Providing a checklist for countries to rate potential PPP projects, it explains why robust governance and strategic planning is critical to the success of public-private partnerships. It underscores that embracing the private sector is crucial for countries to build sustainable infrastructure that can boost jobs, stimulate growth, and support an inclusive recovery.

This book explores how Asia's fast-growing cities can fulfil their potential as engines of economic prosperity and provide a livable environment for all citizens. But for this to happen, major challenges that reduce urban communities' quality of life and economic opportunities must be addressed. These include poor planning, a lack of affordable housing, inequalities, pollution, climate vulnerabilities, and urban infrastructure deficits. The book's 19 articles unwrap these challenges and present solutions focused on smart and inclusive planning, sustainable transport and energy, innovative financing, and resilience and rejuvenation.

The report's overarching conclusion is that CAREC has a unique and urgent opportunity to chart a course of proactive, systematic, and strategic engagement in supporting its member countries in reinforcing, modifying, and implementing existing national strategies on climate change mitigation and adaptation, and in developing a range of regional actions in response to the regional nature of many climate change impacts and solutions.

Investment in infrastructure is essential for promoting economic growth, and while countries in Asia have enjoyed higher rates of gross domestic product growth in recent years, the region remains severely deficient in the scale and quality of sustainable infrastructure. Moreover, population growth and climate change continue to put increasing pressure on the need for strategic and farsighted development, calling for policy makers to reevaluate infrastructure governance to ensure sustainable economic growth. Currently, in developing Asia, most investment in infrastructure comes from the public sector. However, with growing fiscal deficits and other budgetary constraints, it is essential to develop alternative sources of investment for infrastructure projects. This presents opportunities to tap into the private sector, which can play an instrumental role in minimizing the funding gap through the development of stronger, more transparent public–private partnerships (PPPs) and incentivizing sustainable infrastructure investment. This book provides a scholarly discussion on the importance of PPPs and approaches to unlock private participation in infrastructure investment based on lessons from across Asia. Among the proposed schemes are government tax incentives, development-based land value capture strategy under PPP land pooling, Viability Gap Funds, Project Development Facilities, and other guarantees. The book aims to assess the impacts and future of sustainable infrastructure investments and examines the role of governments in mobilizing financial resources and new models for unlocking private investment in sustainable infrastructure. This book consists of fifteen original chapters on the experiences of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) and a few other cases for promoting private investment in sustainable infrastructure. The fact that not much has been published previously on this theme makes this book a welcome and timely addition to the much needed knowledge on this subject. ‘The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylor fran cis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution- Non- Commercial- No Derivatives 4.0 license.’

Maldives has no proven fossil fuel reserves, but it has abundant renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and ocean (tidal, wave, and ocean thermal), and has the potential to produce green hydrogen fuel using renewable energy. The coronavirus pandemic has impaired Maldives’ economy, severely affecting its tourism industry, which is one the country’s main economic drivers. The country’s recovery will largely depend on the rapid transformation and diversification of its economic activities. Renewable energy offers a promising alternative to fossil fuels as the country embarks on a transformation challenge. This Road Map serves as a guide for Maldives’ energy transition—from being powered by costly and polluting fossil fuels to being powered by affordable and efficient renewable and cleaner energy sources.

This report attempts to project the balance between energy demand and supply for the 48 regional members of the Asian Development Bank. However, due to the unavailability of energy data, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Tuvalu are not included in the study. The outlook results are presented by member, by subregion, and by region. Based on the projected energy demand and supply, carbon dioxide emissions and investment requirements are derived. These will offer a basis for policy making and development planning geared toward sustainable economic development in the regional members in Asia and the Pacific.