Future Asia Pacific Insights

The document outlines key drivers of change in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dual nature of artificial intelligence, the risk of losing traditional ecological knowledge, and the influence of power relations on environmental outcomes. It proposes a transition away from consumerist economic models toward systems prioritizing planetary health, alongside the need for robust governance and the protection of the rights of nature and marginalized groups.

• Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data offer opportunities to improve natural resource governance, food security, regenerative agriculture, and the development of green, smart cities, while potentially empowering marginalized groups in decision-making.
• The deployment of AI presents significant risks, including the widening of inequality through technology monopolization, ethical concerns regarding surveillance, the potential for manipulating narratives to manage dissent, and unknown energy intensity demands.
• There is a critical risk that rapid technological advancement will lead to the loss of Indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge, which are described as invaluable for tackling biodiversity loss and climate change.
• Current power relations and economic structures may lead to futures where carbon markets primarily benefit corporations and affluent countries, or where family dynasties and the private sector dominate governments and economies.
• To achieve planetary health, the region must shift away from a consumerist and resource-exploitative economic model, potentially replacing GDP with non-economic indicators such as happiness indices and ecological footprints.
• Effective transition requires strengthening the rule of law and creating legal frameworks that recognize the rights of nature and protect environmental defenders to ensure marginalized groups can hold polluters accountable.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2024). Future Asia Pacific Insights. https://www.sei.org/publications/future-asia-pacific-insights/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Future Asia Pacific Insights. 2024. https://www.sei.org/publications/future-asia-pacific-insights/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Future Asia Pacific Insights |date=15 March 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/future-asia-pacific-insights/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2024future, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Future Asia Pacific Insights}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/future-asia-pacific-insights/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }