All major air pollutants have an impact on the climate and most share common sources with greenhouse gases (GHGs), especially those related to the combustion of fossil fuels.
This event aimed to show the benefits of implementing integrated actions for clean air and climate, and launch the 2021 Update to the Asia and the Pacific Regional Assessment. The event focused on clean air measures for Southeast Asia and discussed opportunities to advance these policies in the region.
In 2018, the Air Pollution in Asia and the Pacific: Science-based Solutions Report (UNEP and CCAC, 2018) identified 25 clean air policy and technology measures which could provide numerous benefits for public health, agriculture and the climate. These measures are also important as, when implemented, they move countries into economic recovery and deliver immediate economic goals, such as job creation, improved public health, and increased food security, and contribute to achieving climate and sustainable development goals.
A recent follow-up analysis for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region reinforces these messages, which found that measures focusing on solid waste management, vehicle inspection and maintenance, and post-combustion control, among others, bring further potential for clean air and for climate action in Southeast Asia. For these benefits to be realized, they need to be prioritized and reflected in countries’ national plans and climate change commitments through the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The objective of this session was to demonstrate the benefits of implementing integrated actions for clean air and climate. It featured the launch of the 2021 Update to the Asia and the Pacific Regional Assessment with focus on clean air measures for Southeast Asia and discussed opportunities to advance these policies in the region.
Ms. Zipporah Goetze, Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP)
Mr. Yamasaki, Director, Ministry of Environment, Japan
Dr. Johan C.I Kuylenstierna, Research Leader, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), University of York
Dr. Zbigniew Klimont, Research Group Leader, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIAS)
Dr. Eric Zusman, Research Leader, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Moderator: Mr. Yasuo Takahashi, Executive Director, IGES
Ms. Hadika Jamshaid, Ministry of Climate Change, Pakistan
Ms. Siwaporn Rungsiyanon, Director of Transboundary Air Pollution, Pollution Control Department, Thailand
Mr. Chandath Him, Deputy Director, Air Quality and Noise Management, General Directorate of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Environment Cambodia
Mr. François Carcel, Southeast Asia Transport task team leader, Agence Française De Développement
Dr. Drew Shindell, Special Advisor for Methane Action, Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)
Session co-organizers:
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