the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific-d744b003dd5a7ffa.pdf

This SEI briefing summarizes a regional foresight workshop held in Bangkok in December 2023, conducted as part of a UNEP strategic foresight initiative. The workshop involved 42 academics and practitioners from 15 countries in Asia and the Pacific to analyze plausible future scenarios for the region leading up to 2050, focusing on the intersections of technology, cultural values, economic power, and environmental sustainability.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data present a duality of opportunities and risks for the region. They can improve natural resource management, food security, and the development of green cities, but they also risk widening inequality through technology monopolization and job losses. There are significant ethical concerns regarding the use of AI for surveillance, the manipulation of narratives to manage dissent, and a lack of transparency regarding the energy intensity of AI.
• The rapid advancement of technology threatens the preservation of Indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge, which are considered vital for addressing biodiversity loss and climate change. There is a concern that societies may become more inward-looking, leading to a loss of the human-nature connection and a disproportionate educational focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) at the expense of social sciences and humanities.
• Future economic and power relations in the region could diverge between scenarios of increased exploitation and empowerment. Risks include the dominance of family dynasties and the private sector over governments, the carbon market primarily benefiting affluent countries and corporations, and the potential for high-income countries to dominate resource access, leading to displacement and conflict.
• To transform the economy toward planetary health, the workshop suggested moving away from GDP as the primary measure of economic health in favor of non-economic indicators such as happiness indices and ecological footprints. Other proposed interventions include debt relief for low-income countries, reforming multilateral banks, and providing financial incentives for sustainability-driven SMEs.
• Improving governance requires strengthening accountability mechanisms and transboundary cooperation to manage climate risks, specifically mentioning the need to enhance the capacities of the Mekong River Commission. There is a called-for need for robust legal frameworks to govern AI ethics, data transparency, and the prevention of manipulation.
• Centering rights, equity, and justice is deemed essential to ensure that environmental progress does not marginalize vulnerable groups, such as fisherfolk. Recommendations include recognizing the rights of nature, protecting environmental defenders, and reforming education to integrate environmental justice and traditional knowledge into curricula.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific-d744b003dd5a7ffa.pdf. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/163615/the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific-d744b003dd5a7ffa.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/163615/the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific-d744b003dd5a7ffa.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/163615/the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendthefutureinasiaandthepacificd744b003dd5a7ffapdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific-d744b003dd5a7ffa.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/163615/the-future-in-asia-and-the-pacific.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }