Accelerating the Renewable Energy Transition in Asia

The transition to renewable energy is vital for achieving a sustainable, low-carbon future. With Asia’s rapid economic growth and urbanisation driving rising energy demand, fossil fuels still dominate the region’s energy mix. Accelerating the shift to renewables such as solar, wind, and hydro is critical for reducing emissions, enhancing energy security, and mitigating climate change.

This track invites researchers, policymakers, and industry practitioners to explore innovative solutions, policies, and strategies that can accelerate renewable energy adoption. Topics include:

Policy and Governance for Renewable Energy

  • Regulatory frameworks that promote renewable energy investments and reduce fossil fuel dependence.
  • Carbon pricing and subsidies: The roles of carbon taxes, cap-and-trade systems, and financial incentives.
  • Public-private partnerships for scaling renewable energy projects.
  • Energy justice and equity: Ensuring fair access to clean energy for marginalised communities.

Technology and Innovation in Renewable Energy

  • Advances in solar, wind, and hydro technologies: Improvements in efficiency, storage, and system integration.
  • Energy storage solutions: Batteries, hydrogen, and smart grids for stabilising renewable energy supply.
  • Decentralised and off-grid systems: Microgrids and community-based energy solutions for rural electrification.
  • Circular economy approaches in renewable energy: Sustainable production, recycling, and end-of-life management.

Financing and Societal Impacts of the Energy Transition

  • Green finance and investment mechanisms supporting renewable energy projects.
  • Risk management strategies for clean energy investments.
  • Job creation and workforce transformation: Skills development and policies to support workers transitioning from traditional energy sectors.
  • Expanding energy access and affordability for rural and underserved communities.

Sustainable Urbanisation and Green Infrastructure for Future Cities

Asia’s cities are expanding at an unprecedented pace, bringing complex challenges such as resource depletion, waste management, pollution, and rising social inequalities. Addressing these demands a reimagining of urban development — one that prioritises green infrastructure and sustainable design to enhance quality of life while reducing environmental impacts.

This session invites researchers, educators, and practitioners to contribute insights from diverse disciplines, including architecture, engineering, materials science, energy systems, public policy, and economics. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, the track aims to advance science and practice in building more resilient, efficient, and equitable urban environments.

Focusing on the design and management of buildings, landscapes, and green infrastructure, the discussion will explore how urban environments — major contributors to global energy consumption — can significantly lower energy demand while improving productivity, health, and environmental performance. Attendees will examine how sustainability can integrate passive design principles with emerging innovations like nature-based solutions and smart technologies. Ultimately, this track envisions intelligent, resource-conscious systems that balance individual adaptability with expert-driven efficiency, creating sustainable and socially just urban futures.

Themes in this session include:

Sustainable Urban Environment

  • Urban and building energy efficiency.
  • Wind engineering and aerodynamics.
  • Urban health and air quality management.
  • Microclimate control and pollutant dispersion in cities.
  • Building-integrated renewables and smart grids.
  • Urban green infrastructure and ecosystem services.
  • Low- or zero-carbon buildings and communities.
  • Climate change adaptation and multi-hazard risk assessment.

Green Infrastructure and Building Technologies

  • Smart buildings and smart cities integration.
  • Occupant-centric design and environmental controls.
  • Building envelope optimisation and sustainable materials.
  • Thermal storage systems.
  • Mechanical systems and advanced building controls.
  • Modelling and simulation for performance optimisation.
  • Building codes, standards, and regulatory frameworks.
  • Passive design strategies (daylighting, natural ventilation).
  • Indoor environmental quality: air, thermal comfort, acoustics, lighting.
  • Alternative cooling technologies.
  • Biophilic design for health and well-being.

Thriving Together — Advancing Social Sustainability for Organisations and in Communities

Social sustainability emphasises the responsibility of organisations and institutions to uphold well-being, equity, and inclusivity over time. This track explores how policies, education, and workplace practices can strengthen community resilience, ensure equitable access to essential resources, and promote inclusive participation in shaping sustainable futures.

We invite researchers, educators, and practitioners to share interdisciplinary work on advancing social sustainability, spanning the right to development, health care, access to water and food, education, cultural participation, rights of Indigenous peoples, gender equity, freedom from discrimination, freedom of association, and improving living conditions. This track aims to highlight strategies for embedding social equity in governance, education systems, and organisational practices to support resilient communities and workplaces.

Themes in this session include:

Social Sustainability in Governance

  • Integrating social equity into national sustainability strategies.
  • Gender equity and the role of marginalised groups in policymaking.
  • Addressing systemic racism to advance environmental justice.
  • Digital inclusion to bridge the technology access divide.

Social Sustainability in Education

  • Developing higher education curricula for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Promoting lifelong learning to strengthen social resilience.
  • Supporting youth activism and its influence on social and environmental policies.

Social Sustainability in the Workplace

  • Advancing equity and inclusion through hiring and HR policies.
  • Implementing effective diversity practices for inclusive organisational cultures.
  • Addressing unconscious bias and microaggressions in the workplace.

Financing a Greener Future — Advancing Green Finance and Sustainable Investments in Asia

Green finance, including blended finance, is a pivotal driver of Asia’s transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy. Financial institutions, investors, and policymakers are recognising the need for sustainable investments to tackle climate change, environmental degradation, and social responsibilities. This track invites applied research on the evolving landscape of green finance, exploring the challenges, opportunities, and practical tools shaping Asia’s sustainable financial markets.

We welcome contributions on a broad range of topics, from policy frameworks and financial instruments to risk management and impact measurement. Discussions will explore how financial innovations and regulatory environments can mobilise capital towards sustainable outcomes, combat greenwashing, and balance fiduciary duties with social and environmental objectives.

Themes in this session include:

Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for Green Finance

  • Government incentives and policies promoting ESG-aligned investments.
  • The role of central banks and regulators in enforcing sustainability standards.
  • Carbon pricing and green taxonomies shaping investment decisions.
  • Strengthening disclosure requirements to combat greenwashing.

The Future of Sustainable Finance: Challenges and Opportunities

  • Green financial instruments: green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, impact investing.
  • Integrating ESG factors into corporate finance and investment strategies.
  • Evaluating ESG ratings and managing risks in sustainable investments.
  • Advancing corporate sustainability reporting and global standards alignment.

Social and Economic Impact of Green Finance

  • Financing a just transition: aligning fiduciary duty with equitable investing.
  • Embedding social responsibility in financial decision-making.
  • Building economic resilience through sustainable finance.
  • Emerging trends and innovations shaping Asia’s green investment landscape.

Blended Finance Mechanisms for Scaling Green Projects

  • Structuring public-private-philanthropic collaborations.
  • Risk mitigation strategies to attract private investment.
  • Measuring and reporting blended finance impacts.

Promoting Sustainability through Behavioural Insights

Achieving sustainability requires more than policies and technologies — it demands shifts in individual and collective behaviours. Behavioural insights offer valuable tools to promote sustainable consumption, reduce waste, and encourage eco-friendly practices across societies. Understanding the psychological, cultural, economic, and social factors driving behaviour is critical to designing interventions that are both effective and enduring.

This track welcomes research that applies behavioural science to sustainability challenges, including how choice architecture and behavioural finance can influence decisions, how cognitive biases affect climate-related actions, and how gamification and social marketing can nudge individuals and organisations towards sustainable behaviours.

Themes in this session include:

Behavioural Interventions for Sustainability

  • Nudging to promote pro-environmental behaviours.
  • Designing choice architecture for sustainable consumption.
  • Applying behavioural insights to environmental policymaking.

Behavioural Finance and Corporate Decision-Making

  • Leveraging behavioural finance to drive sustainable investment.
  • Encouraging corporate sustainability decisions through behavioural insights.

Understanding Cognitive and Social Drivers in Environmental Engagement

  • Examining behavioural biases in environmental decision-making.
  • Behavioural economics in climate neutrality and sustainability reporting.
  • Gamification and sustainability marketing to engage consumers.

Innovating for Resilience and Sustainable Development

Asia faces pressing sustainability challenges that demand transformative innovation. Advances in technology, new business models, collaborative strategies, and enabling policy frameworks are unlocking solutions that can accelerate sustainable development and build resilience across the region.

This track invites thought leaders, researchers, policymakers, and innovators to explore cutting-edge technologies and strategies that advance sustainability goals. Topics include breakthrough applications in materials science, AI, biotechnology, and carbon capture, as well as the role of enabling ecosystems, capacity building, and public-private partnerships. The track also examines how to scale and measure the impact of sustainable innovations across diverse contexts, ensuring solutions are replicable, impactful, and transformative.

Themes in this session include:

Technological Frontiers for Sustainability

  • Advanced materials and nanotechnology for sustainable applications.
  • AI and machine learning for resource optimisation and environmental monitoring.
  • Digital solutions for sustainable agriculture and food security.
  • Biotechnology and bio-based solutions for circularity.
  • Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS).

Enabling Innovation Ecosystems and Policy Frameworks

  • Public-private partnerships fostering sustainable innovation.
  • Policy instruments promoting green technology adoption.
  • Developing sustainable innovation clusters and hubs.
  • Overcoming regulatory barriers to innovation.
  • Education, capacity building, and knowledge transfer.

Scaling and Measuring Impact

  • Strategies for scaling sustainable solutions across contexts.
  • Metrics and frameworks for impact assessment.
  • Overcoming barriers to replication and scalability.
  • International collaboration and knowledge sharing.
  • Data-driven decision-making for sustainability.

Sustainable Business Practices — Driving Long-Term Resilience in Asian Businesses

As businesses in Asia navigate economic uncertainty, shifting consumer expectations, and evolving regulatory landscapes, embedding sustainability into corporate strategy has become essential for long-term resilience. This track examines how organisations can integrate sustainability across strategies, operations, and corporate cultures to enhance competitiveness, manage risks, and create enduring value.

We invite both empirical and conceptual contributions that explore sustainable business practices and their role in building organisational resilience. Topics include embedding ESG considerations into strategy and governance, developing sustainable products and business models, fostering leadership and culture for sustainability, managing sustainable supply chains, and leveraging cross-sector partnerships for impact. The track also covers sustainability reporting, regulatory compliance, and how businesses engage consumers and stakeholders to drive sustainable outcomes.

Themes in this session include:

Sustainability-Driven Strategy and Governance

  • Embedding sustainability in corporate strategy and decision-making.
  • Corporate leadership and culture driving sustainability transformation.
  • ESG integration in business strategy and operations.
  • Navigating regulatory compliance and adaptation.

Sustainable Operations and Supply Chains

  • Operational efficiency and responsible sourcing.
  • Supplier engagement and supply chain transparency.
  • Developing sustainable products and services.

Performance Measurement and Stakeholder Engagement

  • Sustainability reporting and performance metrics.
  • Building consumer trust through sustainable branding.
  • Understanding consumer behaviour and market expectations.

Cross-Sector Collaboration and Partnerships

  • Collaborations with governments, NGOs, and stakeholders.
  • Scaling impact through cross-sector initiatives.