In a keynote speech at the World Economic Forum on East Asia, Mr Han said many major cities on the continent are situated along coastlines.

'Two thirds of the world's poorest live in our region, and they are the most severely and disproportionately affected by climate change,' he said.

'Thus it is imperative that we act boldly, decisively and without delay.' The urgency of the twin challenges posed by the global economic slump and climate change need a comprehensive policy response, Mr Han said.

South Korea plans to spend some US$40 billion (S$58 billion) over the next four years on a 'Green New Deal' policy aimed at creating one million jobs and shifting from 'fossil-fuel dependent, quantity-oriented growth to a new paradigm of qualitative growth,' he said.

Victor L.L. Chu, chairman of Hong Kong's First Eastern Investment Group, told the forum that China - one of the world's most polluted countries - is catching up fast in green growth projects.

The country plans a stimulus package worth 440 billion dollars to expand its renewable energy use, state media said last month.

Mr Chu said China had also drastically raised fuel consumption tax over the last few months.

Chiaki Ito, vice chairman of Japan's Fujitsu, said information and communication technology (ICT) could reduce the world's carbon dioxide emissions by 15 percent by 2020.

'As ICT is fully integrated into our everyday life, it could be a change agent to shift our thinking and behaviour. With sensors and actuators embedded in our daily lives, we can measure or visualize the energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in real time,' Mr Ito said. -- AFP