The challenge of sustainable development in Asia
The recent surge in oil and food prices signifies much more than the specifics of those two markets. The world is pushing against ecological limits more threatening and urgent than at any time in previous history. As a result, we are facing limits not only on oil and food, but also on fresh water, climate change and the very survival of millions of other species. The global drive for economic development is threatening a mass global extinction of other species, through habitat destruction; cli- mate change; disease transmission; excessive hunting, logging and fishing; pollution; and other human-induced pressures. Asia is at the epicenter of the drama.
The global trends are an ironic reflection of humanity’s unprecedented technological prowess, which has brought about a world of 6.7 billion people averaging roughly $10,000 per person in annual production (adjusted for differences in prices across national economies). The total scale of hu- man activity is hundreds of times greater than at the start of the industrial age two centuries back. We are imposing our will on all aspects of the earth’s physical process- es, to the point that we are dramatically threatening our own future well-being.
Asia is uniquely challenged, since it is home to 60 percent of the world’s population, with an unrivalled density of population in South and East Asia, and with a vulnerability to environmental degradation as serious as in any part of the planet. China has 22 percent of the world’s population, with only 7 percent of the land area. India has 15 percent of the world’s population on a mere 2.5 percent of the land area. Both countries, and many others in Asia, are facing a pro- found squeeze on fresh water, energy and habitat, all of which will become far more dramatic as populations, energy use and food intake continue to rise, against a back- drop of peak oil, depleted groundwater and intensifying climate change.
More than quick fixes are needed. While market ideologues might think that free- market reforms, such as privatization of land and water, might do the trick, this is mistaken. Ecosystems don’t obey the rules of private property. What one farmer does — in fencing his land, blocking animal migrations, spraying crops, introducing new crop varieties, hunting and fishing, logging, pump- ing groundwater or managing livestock dis- eases — has ramifications far beyond the farm. What economists call ‘’externalities’’ or ‘‘spillovers’’ mark the very essence of ecosystems. For these reasons, sound environmental management requires rules of the game — an ‘‘ecosystem approach’’ — that go far beyond private property. Governments, as part of national, regional and international law, need to determine safe practices for food production, energy consumption, water use, species introduction and land-use change. Private businesses need to partner with governments to define sustainable practices, aimed at using re- sources at sustainable rates and with environmentally sound technologies.
Some promising steps have been taken by Malaysia in recent years, which may set a powerful example for the rest of Asia. Malaysia plays host to some of the world’s greatest biodiversity and depends on that biodiversity for the high productivity of its plantation crops (such as rubber and palm oil), unique tropical fruits and staple food supply. Recognizing the high stakes involved, the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has created large areas of protected nature reserves, defined areas off-limits for production despite their high market potential because of environmental fragility (such as steep slopes and peat lands) and supported intensive monitoring of habitat changes to try to put a brake on destructive land-use practices.
The government is working closely with leading companies, such as the palm-oil giant Sime Darby, which have recognized that long-term environmental sustainability is vital to the business interests of serious, law- abiding companies with long-time horizons.
It remains to be seen whether Malaysia’s policies will triumph over intense and rising market pressures. With palm-oil prices at sky-high levels, the environment could easily fall under the axe of unscrupulous loggers and politicians, with huge and irreversible environmental costs. If Malaysia can prove the effectiveness of its new set of environmental policy tools and public- private partnerships for sustainability, the benefits and lessons will be not only for Malaysia, but also for Asia and indeed the world.
Jeffrey D. Sachs is the director of The Earth Institute, Quetelet professor of sus- tainable development, and professor of health policy and management at Columbia University. He is also special adviser to United Nations Secretary Gen- eral Ban Ki-moon, as well as president and cofounder of Millennium Promise Alli- ance, a nonprofit organization aimed at ending extreme global poverty. He is also the author of hundreds of scholarly arti- cles and many books, including the best- sellers ‘‘Common Wealth’’ (Penguin, 2008) and ‘‘The End of Poverty’’ (Pen- guin, 2005).