AIT RRC.AP and SACEP Organize 4^th Webinar Titled “What and Why Super Pollutants: Long-term Monitoring in South Asia”

Webinar Series on Air Quality Management: Science and Investment for Sustainable Development
in Malé Declaration Member Countries

29 June 2026Webinar

The Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT RRC.AP), in collaboration with the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), successfully organized the 4th Webinar in the Malé Declaration Webinar Series on “Air Quality Management-Science and Investment for Sustainable Development in Malé Declaration Member Countries.” The webinar was held under the topic “What and Why Super Pollutants: Long-term Monitoring in South Asia.”

The webinar focused on the importance of super pollutants, also referred to as short-lived climate pollutants, particularly black carbon, methane, brown carbon, ozone, and related aerosols. The session highlighted their roles in air quality, climate change, public health, food security, and sustainable development. The webinar also emphasized how long-term atmospheric observations can support better understanding of pollutant sources, long-range transport, atmospheric transformation, climate impacts, and evidence-based policy decisions in South Asia.

A total of 42 participants attended the webinar, including 27 male and 15 female participants. Participants represented a diverse range of institutions, including academia, government agencies, international organizations, and the private sector. The session highlighted South Asia as a key region for both knowledge generation and mitigation action on super pollutants, and underlined the importance of strategic receptor observatories such as the Maldives Climate Observatory at Hanimaadhoo (MCOH) in Maldives and the Bangladesh Climate Observatory at Bhola (BCOB) in Bangladesh. The webinar also reaffirmed the role of the Malé Declaration as an important regional framework for strengthening cooperation, sustained monitoring, data sharing, harmonized methodologies, standardized emission inventories, and stronger links between science and policy.

Opening

Dr. Vanisa Surapipith, Head of the Air Pollution Cluster at AIT RRC.AP, opened the 4th Malé Declaration Webinar that was jointly organized with SACEP, by welcoming participants and introducing the 1998 initiative, which unites eight South Asian member countries to tackle national and transboundary air pollution. She highlighted that the webinar series aims to sustain technical and policy dialogue in preparation for the upcoming intergovernmental meeting. In setting the stage for the session focused on defining super pollutants, their importance, and long-term monitoring in South Asia, she introduced the three main speakers and noted that closing remarks would be delivered by UNEP ROAP.

Presentations Session

Long-term Monitoring and Observation at MCOH: Status of the Super Pollutants over the Indian Ocean and Beyond

Speaker: Prof. Örjan Gustafsson, Department of Environmental Science and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Sweden

In the first technical presentation, Prof. Örjan Gustafsson detailed the critical role of "super pollutants" often called short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon and methane that heavily impact both climate and air quality alongside CO₂. Drawing on key regional research like INDOEX and the ABC programme, he emphasized that air pollution in South Asia extends far beyond cities, traveling over 1,000 kilometers. He underscored the value of long-term observatories, such as BCOB in Bangladesh and MCOH in the Maldives, which reveal that models often underestimate black carbon's climate effects while overestimating its emission trends. Crucially, long-term data suggests South Asia may have already plateaued its black carbon emissions, opening a clear path for further reductions if targeted policies are accelerated.

To capture these gains, Prof. Gustafsson recommended formally integrating black carbon into the Malé Declaration, following the model of Europe's Gothenburg Protocol to yield dual benefits for public health and climate. Regarding methane, he highlighted how isotopic measurements at regional observatories are refining source attribution, showing that current models may overestimate microbial sources while underestimating thermogenic and combustion inputs. He concluded that targeting black carbon and methane represents a cost-effective, "low-hanging fruit" strategy, framing climate action as both a fast-paced sprint toward 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and a sustained marathon.

Long-term Monitoring and Observation at BCOB: Status of the Super Pollutants in North Bengal and Beyond

Speaker: Prof. Abdus Salam, Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, and Bangladesh Climate Observatory at Bhola, Bangladesh

In his presentation, Prof. Abdus Salam detailed Bangladesh's severe air quality crisis driven by rapid industrialization, unplanned urbanization, and major emission sources including vehicles, brick kilns, dust, plastic burning, and winter transboundary transport. Air pollution, particularly in Dhaka, imposes staggering human and economic costs, erasing roughly 7.5% of the nation's GDP (USD 21 billion annually). To track these impacts, the Bangladesh Climate Observatory at Bhola (BCOB) works alongside a national network of reference-grade instruments and calibrated low-cost sensors. Data reveals extreme seasonal variations, peaking in winter due to weather patterns and transboundary flows with nighttime pollution spikes in Dhaka, alarmingly high lead levels, and evidence of plastic burning.

Studies confirm that this exposure severely impairs lung function, particularly in children, and poses grave risks to hospital patients. Prof. Salam highlighted major regulatory and enforcement gaps, emphasizing that tackling these challenges requires urgent, multi-sectoral solutions. He advocated for stricter industrial and vehicular emission standards, promotion of green infrastructure and public transit, increased institutional funding, and robust regional collaboration to combat transboundary pollution and secure sustainable development.

Long-term Monitoring and Observation at MCOH: Status of the Super Pollutants over the Indian Ocean and Beyond

Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Krishnakant Budhavant, Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India, and Maldives Climate Observatory at Hanimaadhoo, Maldives

Assoc. Prof. Krishnakant Budhavant presented key findings from the Maldives Climate Observatory at Hanimaadhoo (MCOH), established in 2004 following the INDOEX program to monitor atmospheric haze over the Indian Ocean. Supported by extensive international partnerships, MCOH has provided over two decades of continuous, high-precision measurements of aerosols, solar radiation, trace gases, and rain chemistry. His presentation highlighted that air masses reaching MCOH are strongly seasonal, dominated by heavy South Asian and Indo-Gangetic Plain pollution in winter, while influenced by cleaner Indian Ocean and distant African air masses during the monsoon. Isotopic analysis reveals that black carbon, primarily concentrated in PM_2.5, can persist in the atmosphere for over two weeks, with fossil fuels serving as the dominant source during the southwest monsoon.

The long-term observations at MCOH underscore how super pollutants transform during transit, directly informing climate models. While light-absorbing brown carbon rapidly bleaches photochemically over long distances, aging black carbon becomes more light-absorbing as it mixes with other aerosols and cloud droplets, amplifying its climate impact. Additionally, rainwater sulfate studies confirm a year-round dominance of human-made emissions, while data gathered during COVID-19 lockdowns provided concrete evidence of aerosol masking and its influence on regional radiation. Assoc. Prof. Budhavant concluded that MCOH serves as a vital strategic benchmark, bridging field observations with regional climate modeling and policy action across South Asia.

Presentation by Assoc. Prof. Krishnakant Budhavant

Q&A Highlights

The Q&A session addressed practical queries on tracking pollution, personal action, and global policy frameworks. Responding to an inquiry about monitoring Bangladesh's air quality, Prof. Abdus Salam pointed to platforms like AirVisual, government websites, and public display systems maintained by the Department of Environment. On individual action, Prof. Örjan Gustafsson stressed that while personal efforts matter, there is "no silver bullet," necessitating multi-sectoral cooperation, societal transformation, and strong policy alongside technical solutions. Addressing a question raised by Prof. Gustafsson regarding the lack of a standalone Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for clean air compared to clean water, Ms. Yujeong Kim noted that while the post-2030 agenda is still evolving, clean air communities are actively advocating with member states to highlight clean air's vital synergies across health, climate, and food security.

Concluding Remarks

In her closing remarks, Ms. Yujeong Kim (UNEP ROAP) commended SACEP and AIT RRC.AP for hosting the webinar, highlighting the urgent need for investment to combat South Asia's severe air pollution, which impacts human health, agricultural yields, ecosystems, and economic productivity. She emphasized that targeting short-lived "super pollutants" like black carbon and ground-level ozone offers a high-synergy solution with immediate co-benefits for climate, public health, and food security alongside long-term CO₂ reduction efforts. To address these transboundary issues, Ms. Kim called for stronger regional and scientific collaboration, specifically through mechanisms like EANET and APCAP, by enhancing monitoring infrastructure, harmonizing data sharing, and integrating ground observations with satellite forecasting. Ultimately, she underscored that long-term atmospheric observations provide crucial evidence for policymaking, positioning the Malé Declaration as a central driver for regional cooperation, capacity building, and sustainable solutions.

Closing

Dr. Vanisa Surapipith closed the webinar by thanking all speakers, UNEP, and all participants. She noted that the information shared during the webinar would be shared with SACEP, so that it would be brought into additional consideration at the upcoming intergovernmental meeting of the Malé Declaration and. She also informed participants that the next webinar would be around the same last Monday of July, and details with announcement will be shared later.

​ AIT RRC.AP and SACEP Organize 4th Webinar ​Titled “What and Why Super Pollutants: Long-term Monitoring in South Asia”

Webinar Series on Air Quality Management: Science and Investment for Sustainable Developmentin Malé Declaration Member Countries

Opening

Presentations Session

Long-term Monitoring and Observation at MCOH: Status of the Super Pollutants over the Indian Ocean and Beyond

Speaker: Prof. Örjan Gustafsson, Department of Environmental Science and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Sweden

Long-term Monitoring and Observation at BCOB: Status of the Super Pollutants in North Bengal and Beyond

Speaker: Prof. Abdus Salam, Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, and Bangladesh Climate Observatory at Bhola, Bangladesh

Long-term Monitoring and Observation at MCOH: Status of the Super Pollutants over the Indian Ocean and Beyond

Speaker: Assoc. Prof. Krishnakant Budhavant, Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India, and Maldives Climate Observatory at Hanimaadhoo, Maldives

Q&A Highlights

Concluding Remarks

Closing

Watch the Recording

AIT RRC.AP and SACEP Organize 4^th Webinar Titled “What and Why Super Pollutants: Long-term Monitoring in South Asia”

Webinar Series on Air Quality Management: Science and Investment for Sustainable Development
in Malé Declaration Member Countries