Collective action, strengthened partnerships and enhanced investments are needed to address air pollution in the Asia-Pacific region, as improving air quality is fundamental to sustainable development, a recent forum in Bangkok heard.
Asia-Pacific Air Pollution Crisis Demands Collaborative Solutions
Air pollution causes millions of premature deaths annually and negatively impacts learning, productivity, and human capital, experts noted at the 12th Better Air Quality Conference in Bangkok this week.
Bjarne Pedersen, executive director of Clean Air Asia, called for stronger partnerships across governments, funders, the private sector, technical experts, and civil society to catalyze transformative change.
According to United Nations statistics, 92 percent of the Asia-Pacific region’s population – approximately 4 billion people – are exposed to levels of air pollution posing significant health risks. The pollution also has damaging impacts on economic growth, the environment, and agricultural crop yields.
While existing laws and policies have made some progress, further action is needed to bring air quality to safer levels. Pedersen expressed hope that the conference would underscore the urgent need for collective investment and meaningful action.
Yevgeniy Zhukov, director-general for the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department of the Asian Development Bank, revealed that less than 1 percent of global climate finance is directed toward air quality actions, highlighting a financing gap for urban air quality management in developing nations.
The Better Air Quality Conference, which concluded Friday, brought together over 1,100 participants from 56 countries to drive collaborative action for cleaner air and healthier communities.
China shared its air pollution control experiences, with experts from Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu aiming to inspire other Asian countries and cities. Beijing showcased its regulation-monitoring-inspection model, Shanghai its approach to industrial volatile organic compounds and smart diesel supervision, and Chengdu its near-zero carbon construction program.
Le Thanh Thuy, deputy head of the Environmental Management Division under the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment in Vietnam, said China’s experience and technologies are supportive of regional efforts. Erni Pelita Fitratunnisa, head of the Division for Pollution and Environmental Damage Control of the Jakarta Environment Agency in Indonesia, expressed a willingness to cooperate with Chinese experts for tailor-made solutions.
Cooperation between China and Southeast Asia is growing. Last year, Beijing and Bangkok signed a memorandum of understanding on air quality monitoring and management, with Beijing sharing best practices on battling air pollution, particularly PM2.5 pollutants.
Over the past decade, China’s PM2.5 concentrations have decreased by 57 percent on average, attributed to emission reduction measures across industrial, power, vehicle, and agricultural sectors, according to official statistics.
He Kebin, a professor from Tsinghua University’s School of Environment and the chairman of the China Advisory Committee of Clean Air Asia, noted the significant air quality improvement is largely due to emission reduction measures.
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