The ACFA Publication

Indonesia's economic boom in bringing a host of challenges to the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Evidence of that economic expansion can be seen in car sales. These are expected to reach almost a million units in 2012, up 11% from 894,000 units in 2011, according to the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industries (GAIKINDO).

The Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) started as a project of Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2001 and grew into a standalone non-governmental organization (NGO).

In March, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) presented a report entitled "OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: The Consequences of Inaction" to the environment ministers of its member countries and key emerging economies. OECD experts peered 40 years into the future and asked what the world would look like, if current trends continue.

Fuel quality in the Middle East varies radically from one country to the next, and obstacles to cleaner fuels range from a lack of awareness, urgency and political will to a lack of modern refineries and coordination.

Malaysia had more than 21 million registered cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses and commercial vehicles on its roads last year. According to the Petaling Jaya-based Malaysian Automotive Association, the country added about 600,000 vehicles in 2011, with passenger cars accounting for 89% of the increase. That surge caps a seven-year span that saw about a half million new cars and trucks registered every year.

Before advanced automotive technologies and tougher anti-pollution regulations can have an impact in emerging countries, fuel quality must be addressed, and oil companies must share the responsibility, according to the world's leading automobile manufacturers.

South Korea's efforts to go green have hit a roadblock. The adoption of a carbon emission trading bill proposed by President Lee Myung-bak has been delayed despite it being backed by the ruling and opposition parties in a committee vote on February 8.

For Asian skies and drivers, Michael Walsh has good news and bad when he talks about trends for the next 10 years. Walsh chairs the international Council on Clean Transportation, an independent non-profit providing research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators.

Increasing wealth in Asia is driving demand for more than just cars and consumer goods. "As incomes grow, there is increased demand for environmental regulations which will change techniques of production, making them cleaner..." - Matthew Cole, a professor of economics at the University of Birmingham in the U.K.