Capacity Development Programme on Air Quality Management and Emission Reduction of PM2.5 for Member Countries of ASEAN Haze Agreement and Malé Declaration
19-23 September 2022
AIT Conference Center, Bangkok, Thailand
Background
In many Asian countries, the level of air pollution is continuously increasing at an alarming rate from urbanization, industries, constructions, traffic, residential cooking, agricultural residuals and municipal waste open burning, and other economic activities. World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that globally over 90 percent of people are getting exposed to high levels of air pollution, which is resulting in premature deaths of over 7 million people every year. Premature deaths mostly are occurring in developing countries including Asian countries. In fact, many Asian cities are among the list of the most polluted cities in the world. Most Asia countries are lagging behind the time frame of achieving the SDGs links to improving air quality including reducing PM2.5 concentrations to a level of an interim target (IT-1) set by WHO. Increasing air pollution is not only affecting human health and the environment but also is causing a large economic burden on the national health budget and a significant loss in agriculture productivity.
Many Asian countries are lacking technical capabilities to monitor essential air quality parameters, including particulate matters (PM10 and PM2.5) and trace gases (CO, NOx, O3, SO2, etc.). Some countries do not have reliable emission inventories, models or tools to assess the impacts, nor have effective air pollution mitigation policies. There is a need for a capacity development training program to enhance the air quality management capabilities of these countries leading to effective policy formulation and sound decision-making including policies and actions for emission reduction of particulate matters and trace gases. Measures to address air pollution are needed to be in place to reduce its impacts on human health and the environment.
In line with the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN)’s priority thematic areas, particularly on transboundary air pollution and its impact on human health, the Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP), along with its partners, is going to organize a one-week training program on the “Capacity Development Program on Air Quality Management and Emission Reduction of PM2.5 for Member Countries of ASEAN Haze Agreement and Malé Declaration” during 19-23 September 2022 at the AIT Conference Center, physical.
Objectives
The proposed capacity-building training program aims to build the capacities of the Asian countries for better air quality management and enhance technical capabilities to effectively support their national efforts to address air pollution issues. As a co-benefit, this will help also in reducing transboundary impacts of air pollution in the region. The major objectives of the capacity development program are as follow:
- To enhance understanding of air quality monitoring and analysis including satellite data, low-cost sensors, and Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) and their uses in air quality management.
- To enhance understanding of the development of emission inventories of air pollutants through “bottom-up and top-down” approaches and the introduction of an Emission Inventory Tool.
- To enhance understanding of air quality modeling, such as chemical transport models, source apportionment models, and secondary pollutants formation models and their applications in air quality management, as well as transboundary air pollution.
- To enhance understanding of the impact assessment of air pollution on human health and the environment and how the impact assessment tools or models can be used in air quality management including formulations of effective emission reduction policies.
- To enhance understanding and emission reduction policies, action plans incorporating the co-benefits approaches, mitigation scenarios, strengthening emissions standards, etc. Introduction of 25 science-based solutions for emission reduction air pollutants.
- To share information on best practices of air quality management in the region.
Target Participants
Participants, including the policymakers, air quality managers, and technical staff of pollution control and meteorological agencies and associated ministries/departments from the member countries of the intergovernmental networks, namely, the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) and the Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution and its Likely Transboundary Effects for South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) are invited. TWO participants from each country are invited to the workshop. The invitation is shared with the National Focal Points (NFPs) of the ASEAN Haze Agreement and the Malé Declaration requesting them to nominate the participants from their country. A few participants from partner organizations are also invited. It is expected that nominated participants from countries have a basic understanding of air pollution and air quality management practices.
