BACKGROUND
The net-zero transition is no longer just a technological ambition - it is a defining challenge of our generation. As climate risks intensify, countries in the Indo-Pacific are called to radically rethink how we live, build, move, and power our economies. At the 2025 Yushan Forum, one message was clear: smart solutions are key to this transformation, but they must be inclusive, people-centered, and regionally coordinated.
Throughout the forum, experts emphasized that emerging technologies - such as high-efficiency solar panels, AI-empowered manufacturing systems, and low-waste smart city infrastructure - are reshaping how industries operate. Dr. Jia-Yush Yen (President of the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and President of Taiwan Intelligent Zero Carbon Building Alliance) highlighted Taiwan’s advances in solar energy, citing the efficiency potential of next-generation panels, which amounts to more than 30% (Taipei Times, 2025), while Dr. Kou-I Szu (Chairman of the Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robotics Association - TAIROA) emphasized how robotics and remote services could significantly reduce transportation-related emissions and costs. The promise of hydrogen and small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), as discussed by Mr. Nobuo Tanaka (Former Executive Director of the International Energy Agency - IEA, and Chairman of the ICEF Steering Committee), was framed as essential for supporting the high energy demands of the digital economy and AI-driven systems.
But the forum reminded us that what makes a solution “smart” is not just its complexity or novelty - it is its ability to serve people and the planet together. Dr. Kou-I Szu emphasized that technology must coexist with human flourishing, reminding us that innovation must go hand in hand with improving quality of life. The example of Thailand’s AMATA Smart City (AMATA, 2025), shared by Mr. Vikrom Kromadit (Chairman of AMATA Corporation PCL), showcased a zero-waste infrastructure and “all-service” civic centers, illustrating how systems can be designed with sustainability and efficiency embedded at their core.
At the same time, participants warned that the smart transition risks leaving some regions behind. Mr. Brett O’Riley (Board Member at The Environmental Protection Authority of New Zealand, and Managing Director of OCGL) noted that while Asia-Pacific accounts for 60% of global GDP (International Monetary Fund, 2024), its carbon reduction performance lags due in part to the lack of green trade frameworks. Mr. Patrick P. Chen (Chairman of the Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders’ Association - TMBA) added that while AI can optimize design and production, reduce carbon emissions, and support sustainability goals, it must be implemented with equity in mind. “How can we do more with less,” he asked, “and still bring more people with us?”
Overall, the forum allowed the youth to reframe smart solutions - not just as tools of efficiency, but as instruments of equity. A solution is only truly “smart” if it responds to human needs, advances climate goals, and strengthens the social fabric of the Indo-Pacific.
INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
The smart transition is unfolding at an unprecedented pace - but its path is not evenly paved. While technologies like AI, SMRs, hydrogen fuel, and digital manufacturing promise to redefine how we live and work, the systems that support them - education, regulation, financing, and infrastructure - remain uneven across the Indo-Pacific. In many places, the promise of innovation collides with the reality of inequality, creating divides that risk deepening rather than narrowing existing gaps.
These are not merely technical gaps - they are structural and political. They reflect who gets to shape the direction of innovation, who benefits from it, and who is left out of the conversation entirely. As discussed at the Forum, the absence of coordinated green trade frameworks, the underrepresentation of developing countries in clean tech supply chains, and the lack of inclusive digital governance all point to a pressing truth: without intentional design, smart systems can reinforce the very injustices they claim to solve.
As Dr. Tzuo-Liang Luo (General Manager of Expetech Co. Ltd., and Senior Consultant at the Intelligent Machinery Technology Center - ITRI) reminded us that while manufacturers are embracing digital technologies and low-energy consumption systems to stay globally competitive, these shifts demand both infrastructure and institutional readiness. “Digital transformation,” he noted, “must go hand-in-hand with carbon neutrality.” Without clear strategies to align these two goals, the region risks advancing one while undermining the other.
Challenges and Difficulties:
1.Green trade is still underdeveloped.
Despite the considerable size of Asia-Pacific’s economic output noted by Mr. Brett O’Riley, current trade frameworks do not fully incentivize decarbonized value chains. Carbon pricing, sustainable sourcing standards, and green certification mechanisms remain fragmented, making it difficult for low-emission producers to compete or scale across borders.
2. Supply chains remain extractive and unequal.
As elaborated by multiple speakers in the forum, including Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, developing countries often supply the critical raw materials needed for clean energy technologies - such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements - but are rarely integrated into the downstream processes of design, manufacturing, or value capture. This perpetuates a cycle where some countries bear the environmental costs without benefiting from long-term economic returns.
3. Digital transformation is outpacing governance.
The pace of innovation in AI, robotics, and SMRs, as noted by several speakers, including Dr. Tzuo-Liang Luo and Dr. Kou-I Szu, is far ahead of the institutional frameworks designed to guide their deployment. Without coherent policies and accountability structures, the region faces risks related to privacy, environmental safety, labor displacement, and algorithmic bias. The potential of “smart” systems to serve the public good is compromised when regulation lags behind practice.
4. Smart doesn’t always mean just.
Echoing Mr. Patrick P. Chen, technology alone does not guarantee equity. In the absence of inclusive design, smart cities can reinforce social segregation, AI tools can replicate systemic biases, and automation can deepen unemployment - especially among youth and low-skilled workers. The same tools that promise efficiency may also concentrate power, reduce transparency, or limit democratic control.
The transition to net zero is not only a race against time - it is a test of fairness, agency, and inclusion. Without deliberate structural reform and regional coordination, smart solutions risk reproducing old patterns of inequality in new, more opaque forms.
From the Youth Lens Perspective:
The barriers outlined above are not abstract - they are deeply felt by young people across the Indo-Pacific. In countries pursuing innovation without sufficient support structures, youth are often the first to experience the risks of exclusion. Automation and AI-driven systems are reshaping job markets faster than education systems can adapt. In rural and underserved areas, smart infrastructure remains out of reach, despite rapid tech deployments elsewhere.
These lived realities shaped our reflections and sharpened our demands. At the Forum, youth delegates brought not only technical curiosity, but a deep concern for fairness, transparency, and long-term inclusion in the smart transition. One theme consistently emerged: the transition to smart systems must be matched by a transition in mindset - toward empathy, accountability, and justice.
We believe youth participants across the Indo-Pacific are not just adapting to change; they are driving it. Youth are leading green startups, building climate-tech communities, shaping public discourse on digital ethics, and mobilizing networks for environmental justice. We see smart solutions not as endpoints, but as tools - tools that must serve both innovation and inclusion.
During the Forum, several reflections stood out:
1.AI is not the future - it is the present.
Across the sessions, it became clear that artificial intelligence is already transforming how we produce, consume, and govern. From optimizing industrial energy use to accelerating decision-making in logistics, AI is enabling breakthroughs in efficiency. Yet as young leaders, we raised critical questions: Who is designing these algorithms? Are data practices ethical and inclusive? Are AI-driven decisions accountable to the people they affect? We believe that the smart use of AI must be matched with safeguards to protect rights, reduce bias, and ensure that its benefits are broadly shared - not concentrated among the few.
2. The smart transition must not leave workers behind.
Automation and AI have the potential to reduce costs and emissions - but they also risk displacing jobs, particularly in manufacturing, warehousing, and service sectors. In discussions with private sector leaders, youth delegates emphasized the need for proactive reskilling strategies and universal access to digital literacy programs. Smart industry must be designed to enhance human capability, not just replace it. Young people called for more flexible labor systems, portable protections, and inclusive policy dialogues that involve both current and future workers.
3. Smart cities must be for everyone.
The vision of smart cities inspired many of us - from clean mobility systems to real-time waste tracking and zero-waste infrastructure. But youth also asked: will these cities be livable for the poor, the elderly, and marginalized communities? Too often, smart city models prioritize data flows and investment zones over human well-being. We believe technology should enable equity in access to public services, digital connectivity, and environmental safety. Truly smart cities must be co-designed with residents, not imposed on them.
4. Equity must guide energy innovation.
Many forum speakers celebrated the rise of SMRs, hydrogen, and next-generation solar and battery systems. Yet youth delegates questioned the geopolitical realities of these innovations. We highlighted how the transition is being driven by countries and companies with capital and influence, while many others remain locked out of technology ownership or policy influence. Without a just approach to clean energy innovation, we risk reinforcing old extractive patterns under a new green label. We called for technology transfer mechanisms, joint innovation platforms, and participatory governance in the energy transition.
In short, we are not against technology - we are for smarter systems built on smarter values. Youth across the Indo-Pacific want to move fast, but not recklessly. We want innovation, but not at the cost of fairness. And we want to lead - not as token representatives, but as partners in shaping the net-zero future we are inheriting.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
The transition to a net-zero future will not succeed on technology alone, it requires leadership, coordination, and trust. As youth delegates, we believe that smart solutions must be backed by smart policies that prioritize inclusion, accountability, and cooperation. The following recommendations are drawn from our reflections at the Yushan Forum and are grounded in the realities facing the Indo-Pacific region. They are not just proposals for innovation - they are calls for alignment between ambition and access, between digital transformation and climate justice. We offer them to governments, the private sector, and civil society as pathways to ensure that the smart transition is not only effective - but equitable.
A. For Governments:
* Develop regional frameworks for green trade and carbon accountability: Standardize environmental certifications and incentivize decarbonized value chains across the Indo-Pacific to make sustainable trade the default, not the exception.
* Establish AI and automation governance frameworks rooted in equity: Create inclusive regulatory sandboxes for emerging technologies like AI, SMRs, and AIoT - ensuring human rights, labor protection and environmental sustainability are embedded from the start.
* Support digital upskilling and workforce transition pathways: Invest in education and vocational training programs to prepare youth and displaced workers for the smart economy. Prioritize inclusion of rural, informal, and low-income groups.
* Facilitate cross-border youth innovation exchanges: Build ASEAN+Taiwan platforms for youth-led green startups, clean-tech accelerators, and policy labs that can prototype smart solutions together.
B. For the Private Sector:
* Embed “just transition” principles in digital and industrial transformation: Align automation and AI adoption with commitments to reskilling, inclusive hiring, and ethical tech use.
* Invest in inclusive smart infrastructure: Design smart cities and digital systems that prioritize universal access to clean energy, public services, and digital connectivity - especially for underserved populations.
* Foster open-source and shared innovation ecosystems: Enable technology transfer and co-development of green solutions with stakeholders in the Global South, including youth entrepreneurs and community innovators.
C. For Civil Society, Academia, and Multilateral Platforms:
* Act as watchdogs and conveners for inclusive governance: Monitor the social and environmental impact of smart transitions, and facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues across government, tech, and grassroots actors.
* Build regional knowledge commons on smart transitions: Promote collaborative research on equitable smart solutions, including digital inclusion, green industrial policy, and cross-sector partnerships.
* Amplify youth as co-creators of smart policy: Include youth in strategic planning bodies, innovation councils, and city design processes - moving from consultation to co-decision-making.
CONCLUSION
The net-zero transition presents the Indo-Pacific with a once-in-a-generation opportunity - not just to decarbonize, but to reimagine how technology, equity, and sustainability can work together. From solar innovation to small modular reactors, from AI-optimized manufacturing to zero-waste smart cities, the region is already witnessing the emergence of powerful tools that could redefine its future. However, as emphasized throughout this theme, the effectiveness of these tools depends not on their sophistication alone, but on whether they serve people, bridge divides, and protect the planet.
Our conversations at the Yushan Forum made clear that “smart” must also mean just. Without inclusive governance, equitable access to technology, and youth-centered policy frameworks, the smart transition risks reinforcing existing inequalities. Youth delegates from across the region emphasized that innovation must be transparent, collaborative, and values-driven. We are not passive recipients of change, we are ready and willing to help lead it. But to do so, we must be included at every stage of the transition: from ideation and investment to regulation and review.
We call on all stakeholders - governments, private sector leaders, civil society, and international partners - to act with urgency, but also with care. The road to net zero cannot be paved by technology alone. It must be walked together, with policies that empower, platforms that include, and partnerships that endure. Let us commit to building a smart future that is not only effective, but equitable; not only fast, but fair. The youth of the Indo-Pacific are ready to co-create this future, what we need now is the political will and shared purpose to make it happen.
REFERENCES
AMATA (2025). Waste Management in Industrial Estates. [online] AMATA. Available at:https://amata.com/sustainability/environmental-stewardship/solid-industrial-waste-management.
International Monetary Fund (2024). Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and Pacific, November 2024 | Resilient Growth but Higher Risks. [online] IMF. Available at:https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/REO/APAC/Issues/2024/10/31/regional-economic-outlook-for-asia-and-pacific-october-2024.
Taipei Times (2025). New solar components boost efficiency by over 30%. [online] Taipei Times. Available at:https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2025/01/21/2003830562.