Developing a National Air Pollution Strategy: Lao People’s Demonocratic Republic

With support from SEI and UNEP, the Government of Lao PDR has already developed important technical foundations to address these challenges. They have been working closely together to improve air quality management and find practical, evidence-based solutions to air pollution. These include a national air pollutant emissions inventory, emissions projections, mitigation assessments, and estimates of the health benefits associated with reducing air pollution.

Their partnership has focused on working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) to develop an air pollution mitigation assessment, train government staff on emissions inventory tools, and support research to identify major sources of air pollutants at the provincial level.

Emissions inventory

Until recently, Lao PDR had no national inventory of air pollutant emissions. Working with the Ministry, SEI researchers helped develop the country’s first national and subnational inventory of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, covering all 18 provinces and drawing mainly on national statistics. It identifies vegetation fires, household cooking, agriculture, electricity generation, and industry as the significant sources. Forest fires were the largest single contributor, accounting for 69% of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in 2019.

Because emissions are quantified at the provincial level, the inventory also shows how sources vary across the country and can be used to project future emissions and compare mitigation measures for their combined health and climate effects, including any trade-offs. The findings are presented in a published paper.

Building on this collaboration, the partners are now embarking on this new phase to develop Lao PDR’s first National Clean Air Strategy