Energy transition pathways for the 2030 agenda in Asia and the Pacific: regional trends report on energy for sustainable development 2018
The Asia-Pacific region’s rapid and sustained economic growth, increasing population, and rapid urbanization are driving growth in energy demand. Ensuring that supplies of energy are adequate to meet this growth in ways that are socially, economically and environmentally responsible creates a new set of challenges for policymakers. The transition to 2030 energy pathway, which is aimed at addressing those challenges, has four coherent and interlinked objectives – increased energy supply to meet growing demand, improved energy security, meeting the SDG7 targets and achieving the NDCs. Addressing these complex and challenging tasks requires policymakers to develop a clear, sustainable and achievable pathway that would enable the countries, as well as the region as a whole, to achieve the 2030 goals and targets. This report undertakes an in-depth analysis to first determine the level of achievement is possible under the current policy regime by developing a baseline. It then identifies the gap between the baseline and the 2030 targets to inform policymakers the additional efforts and resources that would be needed to adequately achieve SDG7 targets as well as the NDC targets for the energy sector. Finally, different transition pathways have been developed and their socio-economic and environmental facets have been examined to assist policymakers to make informed decisions.