UNEP Report Released: Recent Trends in Material Flows and Resource Productivity in Asia and the Pacific 2013

Recently, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), released a new report titled, Recent Trends in Material Flows and Resource Productivity in Asia and the Pacific 2013. The 36-page report available here, discusses the following:

[t]his report is intended to supplement the original Resource Efficiency: Economics and Outlook for Asia and the Pacific report (UNEP 2011). The content is based on an updated material flows database which presents data up to 2008, and the onset of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). The scope of this report is considerably narrower than the original report, focussing on deepening quantitative analyses specifically relating to primary material flows in the ten greatest resource consuming countries in Asia and the Pacific, and the trajectories of related resource efficiency indicators.

IEA Report Released: Developing a Natural Gas Trading Hub in Asia

Recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) "an autonomous organisation which works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 28 member countries and beyond," released a new report titled, Developing a Natural Gas Trading Hub in Asia (2013). The 86-page report is available here:

Among the report’s key findings and recommendations are the following:

• Current market structures discourage gas consumption and impact Asian competitiveness vis-à-vis more flexible markets in the US and even Europe;

• OECD experience suggests that the single biggest obstacle for an effective gas market is a lack of infrastructure access;

• The role of governments must change: Instead of focusing on price regulation along the value chain, governments must maintain and supervise competitive market conditions;

• Credible state commitment to regional gas market competition can instill confidence, encourage new market participants, and promote the use of transparent hubs to balance producer portfolios;

• Transport and commercial activities should be separated and prices deregulated at the wholesale level;

• Singapore holds the best initial prospects for gas hub development, with Japan, Korea, and China as likely competitors in the future.