Accelerating Asia’s just and inclusive journey to net zero

Addressing the issue

Asia is home to over 60% of the world’s population and remains one of the most climate-vulnerable regions globally. In recent years, the region has witnessed record-breaking heatwaves in China and Southeast Asia, severe typhoons in the Philippines, devastating floods in Pakistan and Thailand, and prolonged droughts across Central and South Asia. These compounding climate impacts have damaged livelihoods, disrupted economies, intensified food and water insecurity, and placed biodiversity at heightened risk.

While several Asian countries have committed to bold climate mitigation targets—such as Indonesia’s net-zero pledge by 2060, Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition Partnership, and Singapore’s Green Plan 2030—climate adaptation continues to receive insufficient attention and funding. Despite being disproportionately affected by rising temperatures, extreme weather, and sea-level rise, vulnerable communities across Asia often remain excluded from long-term adaptation planning and investment. There is a pressing need to rebalance priorities and direct more resources toward locally-led, inclusive adaptation strategies that build resilience for those most at risk.

Asia’s philanthropic landscape is growing steadily, yet climate philanthropy accounts for less than 2% of total philanthropic capital across the region, and even less toward adaptation and resilience building. For example, in Southeast Asia alone, philanthropic funding for climate-related causes remains largely fragmented and small-scale. This represents a missed opportunity to mobilise local leadership and capital toward transformative climate action.

To meet the region’s sustainability goals, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that developing Asia requires over $1.7 trillion annually in infrastructure investments through 2030. Public financing and international funds alone are not sufficient. There is a critical need to catalyse domestic philanthropy, leverage blended finance, and build cross-sectoral partnerships to bridge the climate financing gap and drive inclusive, people-centric climate transitions.