Ken Haig is the head of energy and environment policy for Asia-Pacific and Japan at Amazon Web Services.
Asia-Pacific is a large, diverse and dynamic region, with 4.7 billion people living in countries ranging from developed countries to small island economies vulnerable to the effects of climate change. It had the highest energy demand of any region, consuming 47% of the world's total demand in 2023. Much of this appetite comes from developing countries and is largely driven by rapid economic growth, urbanization and industrialization. Dependence on fossil fuels remains high for many developing countries as they strive to reduce carbon emissions through economic growth.