“Moving away from coal and fossil fuels in a region that accounts for 75 percent of global coal-fired generation capacity will not be easy. But it is essential for our common future, and it is financially and technologically possible,” U.N. Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said during the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development in Bangkok.

“The latest IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report laid out an atlas of human suffering—particularly across the Asia-Pacific region, where the very existence of entire nations is threatened by rising sea-levels and where we will see vulnerabilities grow with increased flooding, heat waves, drought and extreme weather events,” Mohammed said.

Rising oil and gas prices could put further pressure on developing countries, Mohammed said, and debt burdens are also a consideration. 

“Regrettably, the region has even regressed on others, including those on sustainable consumption and production, and climate action.” Alisjahbana urged governments to better align their strategies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.