South and Southeast Asia are confronting a waste and climate emergency that demands urgent, integrated action. South Asia alone generated over 346 million tonnes of waste in 2022 (World Bank, 2026), but only around 50% is properly collected in urban centres with an even lower rate of collection in rural areas. The remaining waste is openly dumped or burned, releasing methane and black carbon into the atmosphere at a scale that can no longer be ignored. Methane is about 84 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period, and the waste and wastewater sector accounts for roughly 20% of global anthropogenic methane emissions. Across Southeast Asia, rapid urbanisation, surging plastic consumption and marine litter crises compound the challenge, while NDC commitments on waste remain significantly underfunded and under-implemented. Yet within this crisis lies a profound opportunity. A transition to a circular economy, which eliminates waste (and wastewater) at the source, recovers materials and energy, and integrates the informal sector, can simultaneously deliver climate mitigation, pollution reduction and inclusive economic growth. These are exactly the synergies that ISAP2026 calls upon us to scale.
This session brings together policymakers, researchers and practitioners from across South and Southeast Asia to ask: "How can we move from commitments to implementation at scale?" Drawing on emerging and existing regional frameworks on circular economy, proven low-cost technologies and new climate finance mechanisms, including Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), speakers will map a credible, replicable pathway from local pilots to regional transformation. The discussion will focus on replicable solutions, enabling policies and cross-country collaboration, and will conclude with a forward-looking dialogue on the roles of governments, businesses and communities in accelerating a just and inclusive transition.