The Covid-19 pandemic and the wars in Ukraine and Iran have reframed the issue of sustainability, which is now as much about sovereignty and economic security as it is about planetary health. Countries and companies that fail to recognise this have everything to lose in the coming years.
The World Bank has made a volte-face on industrial policy. Southeast Asian countries will need to consider the new policy, but calibrate it across vastly different national contexts.
Vietnam’s stalled Chinese-backed solar factories underscore how Global South nations must demand technology transfer and value addition – not just capital inflows – from China’s expanding overseas clean-tech investments.