Sustainable, Low-carbon Buildings and Transportation: Climate Imperatives in Urbanising Asia

This chapter seeks to present how a rapidly urbanizing Asia can consume more sustainably through low carbon lifestyles and practices, particularly in two of the most carbon-intensive sectors: buildings and transport. In doing so, key stakeholders in the buildings and transport sectors must recognize and work towards removing the barriers on the following:

• Managing the consumption of energy services in the buildings and transport sectors will be a key challenge for sustainable consumption and low carbon growth in Asia.

• Government support through subsidies and informational campaigns can help to accelerate deployment and drive economies of scale for energy efficient technologies and practices in the buildings sector.

• Public works like bus rapid transit (BRT) and district heating and cooling (DHC), which can only be carried out by the government, are critical to energy and fuel efficiencies.

• International frameworks under the UNFCCC and bilateral and multilateral exchanges can be extended to climate goals as well as sustainable development.