Asia needs to develop and deploy clean energy technology in order to sustain its recent economic gains.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that 17 billion tons of carbon dioxide must be reduced to rein in global warming, and ADB's developing member countries can cut half of that through the deployment of low carbon technologies.

"With the threat to Asia's development gains, especially to the people so recently lifted out of poverty, governments must act on this potential," Kuroda said at Wednesday's opening of the Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) held here.

The region is home to some of the world's fastest growing economies, but such development came at a cost. Rising demand for electricity and vehicles pushed up consumption of fossil fuel and spiked greenhouse gas emission.

The ADB said the share of the Asian energy sector in global carbon emissions rose to 30 percent, from a mere eight percent in 1980. And unless the region will develop and use more low carbon technologies, the Manila-based lender estimates that Asia's contribution may increase to 43 percent by 2030.

The growing concern over climate change -- and how it will hurt the region's environment, human health and economy -- has forced economic planners, advocates and business leaders in Asia to search for a stable energy source that can moderate the carbon emissions.

Analysts said Asia is leading the move towards development and usage of low carbon technologies including the harnessing of wind and solar energy.

"An energy revolution is happening, and wind power is leading the way," said Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), a Belgium-based global wind industry trade association.

Sawyer said that Asia is now the world's fastest growing market for wind energy.

According to data supplied by GWEC, China alone has a cumulative wind power capacity of over 12 GW, making China the fourth largest wind market in the world.

China is also among the world's major manufacturers of wind turbines. Another major investor in wind energy is India, which now has roughly 10 GW wind power capacity.

The GWEC said adequate resources and friendly government pol