Economic growth is essential for reducing poverty. But rapid economic expansion in the developing world is often associated with environmental degradation.
Here in Asia, tremendous growth over the past few decades has put sustainable development at the forefront of the public agenda. People in Asia are now suffering from the huge toll that growth has exacted: vastly diminished mangrove forests, dying coral reefs, the depletion of fisheries, land degradation, alarming levels of air pollution and the extinction of species, just to name a few.
Sustainable growth is key to achieving a poverty-free Asia-Pacific region. But the "grow now, clean up later" approach to development is simply not sustainable.