CHAPTER 4: SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE IN A CHANGING WORLD


59


3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0


Africa Europe Latin America and the Caribbean Northern America Asia Pacific


1980


2010


2050 Figure 30: Urban populations, 1980, 2010 and 2050 Source: UN 2014


As millions of people move to cities in search of jobs and other opportunities, these cities will continue to expand their boundaries. Satellite imagery of the Earth at night (Figure 31) shows how urban areas have already shaped the planet and lit up the darkness. By 2025, Asia will host seven of the world's ten largest metropolitan regions, and by 2050 the urban population in Asia and the Pacific is projected to increase to be 3 billion up from 2 billion in 2015 (UN 2014).


This urbanization is also causing challenges in many


rural areas in the region, such as depopulation and aging of populations which can have serious impacts on the local labour market and economy. In parallel, climate change is happening, contributing to more climate-related disasters, rising temperatures and sea levels, and the Earth’s limited natural resources are being depleted. Faced with these challenges, it is clear that the Asia-Pacific region needs to take action to ensure the resilience and sustainability of its environment and society.


billion persons


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