Asia’s reliance on fossil fuels is its ‘Achilles heel’, says top climate leader

Sharon See

Published Thu, Jan 12, 2023 · 06:52 PM

[HONG KONG] DECARBONISING energy in Asia is key to sustaining the region’s competitiveness but there remains “quite a distance” between its climate commitments and implementation, a top climate leader said on Thursday (Jan 12).

Fossil fuels are still the dominant fuel source in Asia, and their extreme price volatility makes the region “highly exposed” given its dependence on fossil fuel imports, said Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“Take note, that is the Achilles heel …