The direct and indirect impacts of the "COVID-19 Shock" on the Asia-Pacific region have unfolded rapidly, varied widely by country and continue to affect economies. In some countries, rises in poverty are expected, while in others an initial fall in carbon emissions has been observed.
Asia-Pacific countries' fiscal responses have been constrained by their GDP, but even in poorer countries, Asia-Pacific governments have taken strong and innovative COVID-19 response measures to support their poorest, especially in job creation. Overall, 111 measures have been introduced by Asia-Pacific countries that are in line with a green recovery.
This policy brief discusses COVID-19's impact on Asian and Pacific economies, their responses to and financing allocated for COVID-19 and climate change, and specific actions being taken related to energy, transport, tourism, land use, water, waste, and disaster risk management.
Regardless of average income, cities and towns have been acting as the engines of economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region, which now hosts half of the world’s mega-cities.
The greening of economic growth series ESCAP, its partners and Asia-Pacific countries have advocated "green growth" as a strategy to achieve sustainable development in the resource-constrained, high-poverty context of the Asian and the Pacific region.