Asian urbanization still has a long way to go, with the number and size of cities getting ever larger. In 2010, the urban share of Asia’s population was still only 43 per cent, compared to 52 per cent worldwide.

By 2050, the figure for Asia is projected to reach 63 per cent, gaining on but still below the 67 per cent global average. Thus, Asian cities will have even higher density and, by 2025, the number of mega-cities in the region is expected to increase to 21 from a global total of 37.

Urbanization also brings about greater pollution. More than half of the world’s most polluted cities are in Asia, and air pollution contributes to half a million deaths yearly in the region. Air pollution in Asian cities is higher than in other regions and a staggering 67 per cent of Asian cities (versus 11 per cent of non-Asian cities) fail to meet the European Union’s air quality standards. The report shows the income elasticity of demand for vehicles, meaning that a 10 per cent increase in per capita income is associated with a 10 per cent increase in a nation’s per capita vehicle ownership rate.

Future CO2 emissions, if left unchecked under a business-as-usual scenario, could reach 10.2 tones per capita by 2050, three times the 2008 level, with disastrous consequences for both Asia and the rest of the world. Three of the top five CO2-emitting economies are in Asia, and per-capita emissions are rising at an alarming rate. Increasing demand for electricity is another source of CO2 emission.

via Asia’s mega-cities urged to think green | The Jakarta Post.