5. Energy and the environment

The fact that emissions harmful to the environment in the Asia-Pacific region will increase significantly throughout our outlook period to the year 2010 cannot be disputed. Even in the low economic growth case, both energy use and emissions are expected to more than double between 1990 and 2010. Just as the availability and use of commercial fuels in the region have led to impressive economic growth, they have also brought about rapid growth of emissions. This section highlights the types of decisions currently faced by policymakers in their attempt to balance economic growth with environmental protection.