Asia’s Future

Critical Thinking for a Changing Environment

60% of the world’s population lives in Asia

…this means that people standing side by side holding hands would reach around

the world at the equator

more than 100 times.

The area of Asia is larger than the land area of the moon.

http://www.panasianbiz.com/2009/01/15-fun-facts-about-asia/

20% of the world’s known terrestrial species and

75% of the world’s known coral species live in

Southeast Asia

which occupies only 3% of the world’s total land area.

The highest fish diversity on the planet is in

Southeast Asia 

Over 200 million people in the region depend on fish as their primary source of

protein.

Seafood consumption in China is projected to increase 40% by 2020.

http://www.marlerblog.com/pt8_art_fish.jpg

With Deforestation predicted to reach 74% by 2100…

More than 40% of the animal and plant species in Southeast Asia could be wiped out this century.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3973

A few hundred years ago, at least 95% of the Philippines was covered by rain

forest...

In 1992, old-growth rain forest had declined to 8.6%.

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Vanishing_Treasures/Deforestation_1.htm

At present rates, natural forests in Indonesia would be logged out in 10 years…

Papua New Guinea in 13 to 16 years

http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=5728

In Indonesia, 80 % of the timber market is held to be illegal

http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=5728http://lh4.ggpht.com/_NJSivbuDGGg/RzsYCI0w9eI/AAAAAAAAApo/TM5gKc23sEE/P1290012.JPG

9.4 million acres of forest have been planted with oil palm since 1996 in Indonesia

A rate of 2,000 acres a day

one football field a minute  

http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2112

Remaining Wild Areas

Malaysia

is ranked among the top 10 illegal wildlife smuggling hubs in the world, together with

Manila (the Philippines),

Medan (Indonesia),

Singapore

and the United States.

In Bangladesh, nearly 132 million people

roughly half the population of the U.S.

live in an area the size of New York State.

Half the world’s urban population lives in Asia.

Urban areas contribute 75% of global energy related CO2 emissions.

http://www.hkoutdoors.com/hong-kong-news/hk-air-pollution.htmhttp://www.pollutionissues.com/Ve-Z/Vehicular-Pollution.html

In Asia

Crop yields will decrease 2.5% to 10% by 2020

http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr.pdf

A 2°C increase in mean air temperature

could decrease rain-fed rice yields

by 4 to 10% in South Asian countries, and

by 5 to12% in China.

Almost 2/3 of those lacking safe drinking water live in Asia 

www.daylife.com/photo/0fD3gEh5sN95W

70% of the water in five of China’s seven major river systems was found to be

unsuitable for human contact, let alone for consumption. 

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEASTASIAPACIFIC/Resources/226262-1158262834989/EA_Visions_8.pdfhttp://www.pacificenvironment.org/gallery.php?gal=14&qty=1&all=1

India supports:

1/6 of the world’s population

and 1/5 of the world’s total livestock population

on 1/25 of the world’s water resources

and 1/50 of the world’s landhttp://asiasociety.org/taskforces/water/

Per capita water storage in India is 200 cubic meters

The lowest relative to comparable sized countries

(1960 for U.S. and 1100 for China)

http://asiasociety.org/taskforces/water/

In India groundwater irrigation

is responsible for

Approximately 10% of GDP

and almost 30% of total electricity consumption

http://asiasociety.org/taskforces/water/

A 75% retreat of glaciers is predicted by 2050.

http://www.greenpeace.org/multimedia/download/1/405727/2/Upsala2.jpg

Glaciers in Himalayas

could disappear by 2035,

if not sooner.

Some 40 million people depend on the Himalayan glaciers for their water supply.

If sea levels rise 1m to 5m in East Asia,

2% to 8.6% of the population would be impacted,

2.09% to 10.2% of GDP would be impacted.

Along with Bangladesh, the country likely to be most adversely affected by rising sea

levels is

Vietnam

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2007/02/09/000016406_20070209161430/Rendered/PDF/wps4136.pdf

In the event of a 90 cm rise in sea level,

Vietnam will lose 1/3 of its natural reserves and 1/4 of the known biodiversity they

contain.

In the event of a 5 m sea level rise

16% landmass will be lost in Vietnam,Affecting 35% of its population and 40% of its

urban areas.

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2007/02/09/000016406_20070209161430/Rendered/PDF/wps4136.pdf

In recent years, ASEAN economies have averaged a growth rate of 5-6% per year,

with China pushing 7-10% per year.

In 2007, China vaulted past Germany to become the world’s 3rd largest economy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7820000/newsid_7829700/7829714.stm

By 2015, some 42% of global GDP is expected to be contributed by Asia.

In 2003, China spent 1.3% of GDP on research and development

Thailand spends only 0.26% of GDP on research and development

http://www.uscc.gov/hearings/2005hearings/written_testimonies/05_21_22wrts/walsh_kathleen_wrts.pdfhttp://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62004185,00.htm

Indonesian companies spend more money on research and development than

Chinese companies.

http://www.insead.edu/v1/gitr/wef/main/analysis/showdatatable.cfm?vno=5.21&countryid=413

Indonesia and Thailand rank higher than the United States with respect to the quality of

math and science education.

http://www.insead.edu/v1/gitr/wef/main/analysis/showdatatable.cfm?vno=4.19&countryid=413 

China now has as many scientists and engineers as the U.S.

Some 60% of nano products are manufactured in Asia.

With 1,500,933,080 internet users, East Asia and the Pacific make up 18% of global

web users.

http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/ddpreports/ViewSharedReport?REPORT_ID=9147&REQUEST_TYPE=VIEWADVANCED&WSP=N&HF=N/CPProfile.asp

In 2006,

69.10 per 100 Americans10.35 per 100 Chinese

and 0.31 per 100 Bangladeshis

had access to and use of the Internet.http://www.insead.edu/v1/gitr/wef/main/analysis/showdatatable.cfm?vno=7.19&countryid=413

Mobile phone subscribers per 100 people:

Thailand 63.02

China 34.83

Cambodia 7.94

http://www.insead.edu/v1/gitr/wef/main/analysis/showdatatable.cfm?vno=7.16&countryid=413

By 2020, greenhouse emissions from IT globally are expected to

equal those from aviation.

Energy demand in Asia is expected to increase by nearly 50% by 2020, at a rate

of more than 4% per year

Electricity demand alone is expected to quadruple from 2000 to 2020.

Over 40% of this growth in energy use is expected to come from residential use.

China is the No.1 global carbon emitter …

with emissions projected to double by 2030.

The U.S. is the No.2 carbon emitter …

followed by Indonesia, mostly due to deforestation activities.

Air pollution levels in the largest Asian cities are among the highest in the world …

contributing more than

1.5 million premature deaths

per year.

China has

20 of the world's 30 most polluted cities

largely due to high coal use and motorization.

By 2015, half of the world’s poor will still be in Asia…

75% of them will be in rural areas

% of Population living on less than $1 per day:

Indonesia 7.5% China 9.9% Philippines 14.8% Laos 27.0% Cambodia 34.1% Bangladesh 41.3%

UN Development Programmehttp://hdrstats.undp.org/indicators/23.html

Presentation compiled by:

Linden Ellis

Tod Kaiser

Elisa Lai

Kexin Liu

Rongkun Liu

William Rogers

Dorothy Zbicz