We must be wary of treating Asia as a monolith when it comes to climate policy. One of our speakers recommended below is the former Prime Minister of Bhutan, the world’s only carbon neutral country. However, the green movement has generally taken longer to develop in the region. This is hardly surprising as countries wish to enjoy the same benefits of economic growth their Western counterparts achieved earlier through similarly carbon-intensive development. 

Many of the world’s largest producers of CO2 emissions are now Asian nations. Without their buy-in to a new consensus on climate policy, it is not possible to achieve a meaningful change in worldwide emissions and restrict global warming. These nations, particularly the big players of China and India, are starting to make tangible comittments to this multilateral agenda. They are motivated not just by moral duty but local concerns about the effects of rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, and pollution on their own territories. 

In updated pledges, China confirmed to the UN last week that it would cut emissions to net zero by 2060. On Monday, India pledged to achieve the same target by 2070 at the COP26 Summit. Vietnam pledged the same by 2050. 

Chartwell’s experts below can examine these pledges and their impacts on the business environment in those respective nations and the wider Asian region. What will it mean for new regulations and what opportunities will these policies open up in new industries?

Sunita Narain Director General at the Centre for Science and Environment, one of India’s leading think-tanks. Influential member of India’s green movement and ranked as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.	Ma Jun Founding Director of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, China’s leading environmental NGO. Nominated for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize for his work fighting pollution in China.	Ye Qi Professor of Public Policy at HKUST. Expert on environmental governance who led China’s first low-carbon development plan in the city of Baoding.	Tshering Tobgay Former Prime Minister of Bhutan, the world’s only carbon neutral country. Internationally renowned environmentalist and advocate for a circular economic model.

If you are interested in booking any of the above speakers, please get in touch.