SEOUL, Korea (January 2010)—Republic of Korea President Lee Myung-bak called on governments, businesses and individuals around the world to embrace the concept of “green growth” in order to battle climate change and introduce a new paradigm for economic growth, in an article published in the latest issue of Global Asia.
“Green growth is about addressing climate change in an aggressive manner while, at the same time, making the green technologies and industries needed to combat climate change the driver of national economic growth. But it is also much more than that,” Lee wrote in an article entitled, “Shifting Paradigms: The Road to Global Green Growth.”
He said it entails a “new social and civilizational paradigm” that no longer pits economic growth against the demands of the environment and corporate social responsibility – in other words that no longer sees “green” and “growth” as contradictory.
In order for that shift to take place, Lee said strong political will and leadership are required, as well as a willingness on the part of the public to discard old ways of thinking and acting. In addition, it will require breakthroughs in technology, he said. “Breakthroughs in technology are what will enable the path to green growth and allow the public truly to transform its lifestyle,” he said. “Here, businesses have a special responsibility to promote ‘green entrepreneurship.’”
He said the road to green growth, however, could not be achieved by one country alone. It requires a global partnership. “All countries must find their unique strategy to achieve green growth. And because there is no clear map to follow, we must help each other as we go along,” Lee said. He said Korea was willing to take a leadership role by establishing the “Global Green Growth Institute,” which would serve as a hub of ideas, new technologies and policies. He said Korea, as a country that has developed from being a recipient of international aid to being a provider of it, could also play a key role as a bridge between developed and developing countries in the transition to green growth.
Lee also said he believed Korea could play a catalyzing role by being among the first countries in the world to wholeheartedly embrace green growth, rather than waiting for other nations to take the lead.
Lee’s article in Global Asia is part of an extensive package of cover stories that provide an in-depth look at the issues surrounding the path to green growth and the hard choices that Asia must make. “We are very pleased to have assembled such a distinguished group of experts to examine the challenges that lie ahead as we make the transition to a more sustainable model of economic growth,” said Chung-in Moon, editor-in-chief of Global Asia. “I am especially pleased that President Lee accepted our invitation to contribute his views.”
For a copy of the articles in our cover story, please visit the Global Asia web site at www.globalasia.org.
Following is a summary of what you can find in the latest issue of Global Asia (You can access PDF versions of the articles from our web site, as well):
THE ARTICLES IN THE COVER STORY:
Shifting Paradigms: The Road to Global Green Growth
By Lee Myung-bak
The contentious debate over how best to combat climate change has been marked by a reluctance on the part of nations to take the necessary painful first steps toward a new economic model. But as President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea writes, nations can embrace a new economic model — green growth — not as a wanton response to the international pressure for carbon mitigation, but as a genuine reflection of respective national capability and political will. Here he outlines Korea’s strategy and the role it can play globally.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Lee_Myung_Bak.html
Lee Myung-bak is the President of the Republic of Korea.
Green Growth and A New World Order
By Norichika Kanie
Much of the public and policy-making discussion of climate change has understandably focused on the need to reduce CO2 emissions. What gets less attention is the fact that a move away from fossil-based fuels could herald a dramatic change in the international order. Japanese academic Norichika Kanie explores what that shift could mean for Asia and the world.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Norichika_Kanie.html
Norichika Kanie is an Associate Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Visiting Professor, Sciences Po university, Paris
Transformative Technology for a Sustainable Future
By Peter Hayes
Every so often in history a technological innovation emerges that has a transformative effect on human civilization. As the world ponders how to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change, Nautilus Institute Director Peter Hayes looks at some of the possible technological breakthroughs that could pave the way to a sustainable future.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Peter_Hayes.html
Peter Hayes is Professor of International Relations at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, and Director of Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability, San Francisco. He is also a member of the editorial board of Global Asia.
Unleashing Green Dragons: A Bottom-Up Approach
By Dominic Kailashnath Waughray
Since the 1970s, global environmental problems have been characteristically managed by top-down government-led methods involving international conventions and other arrangements. With Asia’s breakneck economic growth increasingly threatened by further damage to the environment, World Economic Forum executive Dominic Kailashnath Waughray argues that adding a uniquely “bottom-up” dimension to Asia’s environmental management strategy, which galvanizes public-private partnerships across the region, could be a smart way to ensure it leads in the race to green growth.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Dominic_Kailashnath_Waughray.html
Dominic Kailashnath Waughray is Senior Director, Head of Environmental Initiatives, World Economic Forum.
Green Growth in Asia: An Opportunity for Business
By Dominic Barton
Asian business leaders could reap significant competitive advantages from the coming shift to a green model of economic growth. The new model will use resources more efficiently and demand major capital investment, creating a “petri dish” for innovation in areas like renewable power, resource management and efficient transport, argues Dominic Barton, Managing Director of McKinsey & Company. The transition will be challenging, but Asia is well placed to lead, with a vast labor base, strong capital reserves and booming investment in research and development. Some Asian companies are already world leaders — others will have to catch up fast.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Dominic_Barton.html
Dominic Barton is Managing Director of McKinsey & Company.
Corporate Case Studies: Fujitsu, Hyundai and China Mobile
By Junichi Saito, Woong-Chul Yang & Li Zhengmao
In disparate corners of the business world, three firms are pioneering solutions to the challenges of sustainable development. At Fujitsu, the emphasis is on energy efficiency; at Hyundai, the focus is on clean engine technology; at China Mobile, cutting energy use is the key.
URL for html version of article:
http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Junichi_Saito.html
http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Woong-Chul_Yang.html
http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Li_Zhengmao.html
Junichi Saito is Vice President, Fujitsu Korea Ltd.; Woong-Chul Yang, Ph.D., is President of Hyundai Corporate R&D Division; Li Zhengmao is Executive Vice President of China Mobile Communications Corporation.
Can Asian Cities Be Both Green and Resilient?
By Fatima Shah
With its many coastal mega-cities, Asia is poised to suffer disproportionately from the negative effects of climate change and the consequent rise in natural disasters. This requires urban planners and officials to take action on climate change today. The World Bank’s Fatima Shah looks at strategies and alternatives available to convert the challenges posed by these new realities into opportunities for growth and resilience.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Fatima_Shah.html
Fatima Shah is an Urban Economist in the East Asia and Pacific Region of the World Bank, where she works on issues related to disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, community driven development, and water and sanitation in urban areas.
Car Crazy: The Perils of Asia’s Hyper-Motorization
By Lee Schipper
Asia’s love of vehicles is chokingly and noisily apparent. The number on the roads seems to rise inexorably, so fast in many places that it far outstrips the ability of governments to plan roads and infrastructure for them. But Asian nations desperate to find ways to cope with the clogged roads and foul air in their cities should not despair, says transport scientist Lee Schipper. Asian car ownership overall is tiny compared with the US and Europe. With the right planning and bold vision, it is possible to reclaim the streets and find more sustainable and more efficient transport systems.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Lee_Schipper.html
Lee Schipper is Project Scientist with Global Metropolitan Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, and Research Engineer at the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, Stanford University.
The Future of Green Building
By Robert Turk
The past decade has witnessed a steady increase in the need to address environmental considerations as part of the design process for commercial and residential buildings. A consultant on sustainable building practices, Robert Turk looks at the emerging field of eco-friendly design in terms of new projects, retrofitting efforts and the need to cope with climate change in the future.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Robert_Turk.html
Robert Turk is an Associate with the consulting firm Arup in Australia, and is the firm’s “Sustainability Leader” for Victoria.
THE DEBATE:
Did Copenhagen Really Achieve Anything?
Salvaging Negotiations: Where We Go From Here
By Agus P. Sari
While it is tempting to describe the Copenhagen climate change conference as a failure, especially given the lack of political leadership and the failure of diplomacy to produce the expected outcome, the accord that emerged from the conference still succeeded in sending important messages about the battle against climate change. Let’s see how the next major conference in Mexico City takes things forward.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Agus_P_Sari.html
Agus P. Sari is Country Director of Ecosecurities, Indonesia.
VS
Nearing the Tipping Point: The Failure to Find a Way Back
By Yurika Ayukawa
The climate change conference in Copenhagen was a total failure. Even the heads of state could not agree on the critical issues to save the planet. What was expected was a binding legal agreement that would set ambitious targets for carbon emissions reductions from individual countries. Instead, we got a piece of paper called “the Copenhagen Accord.” The failure in Copenhagen was a failure, above all, in Washington.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Yurika_Ayukawa.html
Yurika Ayukawa is the Executive Director of Office Ecologist in Japan, a member of the Climate Action Network.
FEATURE ARTICLES:
Delicately Poised: Are China and the US Heading for Conflict?
By Jia Qingguo & Richard Rosecrance
As the balance of power between China and the US, the world’s sole superpower, narrows with China’s rise, many observers fret that armed conflict could ensue.
After all, in six out of seven historical cases where a new power has challenged an existing one, war has occurred. But political scientists Jia Qingguo and Richard Rosecrance argue there are reasons to be optimistic that China’s rise will be peaceful.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Jia_Qingguo_Richard_Rosecrance.html
Jia Qingguo is Associate Dean of the School of International Studies, Peking University. Richard Rosecrance is Adjunct Professor in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Bloodless Revolution: How the DPJ’s Win Will Change Japan
By Cheol Hee Park
For most of the past 60 years, one party has ruled Japan. In August 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan finally ended the Liberal Democratic Party’s stranglehold. It has since set about a sweeping reform of how Japan is governed and who benefits. Japan political specialist Cheol Hee Park argues that its desire to solidify its position in Upper House elections in 2010 will force it to focus on domestic affairs in coming months.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Cheol_Hee_Park.html
Cheol Hee Park is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University.
Japan, the Indispensable Power in Northeast Asia
By Peter Van Ness
With the rise of China in recent decades, it has become all too customary among many observers to write off Japan as a spent force in the region.
But as Australian academic Peter Van Ness argues, there are plenty of reasons why Japan not only remains highly relevant, but also can be seen as the pivotal power in Northeast Asia.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Peter_Van_Ness.html
Peter Van Ness is a visiting fellow in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, and coordinator of the Peace Builder project on linking historical reconciliation and security cooperation in Northeast Asia.
North Korea: It’s Time to Start Talking
By Edward J. Baker
US Ambassador Stephen Bosworth’s recent visit to North Korea may herald a new, less confrontational approach by the administration of President Barack Obama to the regime in Pyongyang. If that is the case, then the US may well be learning the lessons of past failures in dealing with the North, argues historian Edward J. Baker.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Edward_J_Baker.html
Edward J. Baker is a professor at the College of Liberal Studies, Seoul National University.
The Emergence Of Regulatory Regionalism
By Kanishka Jayasuriya
Much of the debate about regional integration in Asia has focused on institutional frameworks that promote trade liberalization and the creation of an Asian community.
Australian academic Kanishka Jayasuriya argues that this approach misses altogether the emergence of a new force for regionalism — the evolution of a complex web of private and public regulatory regimes that is slowly tying the region together.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Kanishka_Jayasuriya.html
Kanishka Jayasuriya is Professor of International Politics at the University of Adelaide.
BOOK REVIEWS:
The Tianxia System: World Order In A Chinese Utopia
By Feng Zhang
As China moves to center stage in world politics, the works of Chinese philosopher Zhao Tingyang are provoking debate at home and abroad for their portrait of a Chinese-inspired new world order. Feng Zhang provides an overview and assessment of Zhao’s philosophy of the tianxia system and its importance.
URL for html version of article: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N4_Winter_2010/Feng_Zhang.html
Feng Zhang is an assistant professor in the Department of International Relations, Tsinghua University, Beijing.
