Water resources are becoming increasingly scarce in the Asia and Pacific region. By 2050, agriculture will need to produce 100% more food in developing countries. Climate change and rapid population growth will place new pressures on already scarce water resources. Improved irrigation productivity---more crop per drop---and greater financial sustainability are critical. Estimates for the Asian region place a $12.31 billion annual investment required for irrigation between 2005 and 2030. Find out how the Asia and Pacific region is addressing the need to sustainably fund large-scale, publicly owned and managed surface irrigation and drainage systems.

This book examines clean energy financing and approaches in hydropower and demand-side energy efficiency projects. It presents policies and strategies on energy, based on the experiences in South Asia. This is the second of two volumes that reviews tried and tested approaches and instruments in scaling up clean energy development in Asia and the Pacific.

Jordan's health sector performs well in terms of access and health outcomes, which rank among the best in the Middle East region and among other middle-income countries. An estimated 80 percent of Jordan's population has formal health insurance coverage. This country study provides a detailed description and analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Jordan's current health care system. It describes the kingdom's health care financing and delivery system and provides a conceptual and empirical policy basis for health care reforms. The study also analyzes options for universal health insurance coverage and estimates the impact of costs with a health sector financial impact model. Tables, figures, and case studies help illustrate the overall analysis.

The use of financial concepts and tools to shape development is hardly new, but their recent adoption by advocates of sustainable environmental management has created opportunities for innovation in business and regulatory groups. The Handbook of Environmental and Sustainable Finance summarizes the latest trends and attitudes in environmental finance, balancing empirical research with theory and applications. It captures the evolution of environmental finance from a niche scholarly field to a mainstream subdiscipline, and it provides glimpses of future directions for research. Covering implications from the Kyoto and Paris Protocols, it presents an intellectually cohesive examination of problems, opportunities, and metrics worldwide. - Introduces the latest developments in environmental economics, sustainable accounting work, and environmental/sustainable finance - Explores the effects of environmental regulation on the economy and businesses - Emphasizes research about the trade-environmental regulation nexus, relevant for economics and business students

This report presents a summary of the key challenges and opportunities related to financing that contributes to water security and sustainable growth distilling insights from the Roundtable on Financing Water and related analyses. It covers a broad range of water-related investments, including water and sanitation services, water resources management, agricultural water and managing water-related risks (“too much”, “too little” and “too polluted”).

There is today a crucial need to revamp the management and governance of water systems in Asia in order to cater to the increasing demands of a growing group of users with diverse needs - urban settlements, industry, food producers and environmental needs. This book includes essays that cover a range of issues that are involved in this endeavor.