in asia and the pacific where there is rapid urbanization and significant shortfalls in almost every kind of infrastructure investments in infrastructure may be turned into investments in environmental sustainability and an opportunity to build more sustainable economies the rate at which these goods and services are produced and how they use environmental resources and services as raw materials in their production as inputs to their operation or as waste sinks are critical sources of environmental pressure these pressures are growing with the rise of the consumer classes and the growing power of asia and pacific as an engine of the world economy the greening of business and sustainable consumption remain the core prerequisites for meeting both human welfare and environmental protection needs