Background
Polluted air is creating a health emergency. It also takes a heavy toll on the economy – with air pollution in South Asia costing 10.3 per cent of GDP, respectively, in 2019.1 Exposure to air pollution can lead to stroke, diabetes, heart diseases, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases2 –all of which could severely affect quality of life. Cost-effective solutions to address air pollution exist and have been identified to address the major sources of air pollution. While contribution of each source may vary depending on location, fossil fuel emissions from coal burning for power and heat, transport, industrial furnaces, brick kilns, agriculture, domestic solid fuel heating, and the unregulated burning of waste are considered the main sources of air pollution. In Asia Pacific, the report Air Pollution in Asia Pacific: Science Based Solutions by UNEP’s Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition identified 25 policy and technological solutions to address the five key sectors contributing to air pollution.3
Despite these multiple benefits, clean air interventions and other air quality management elements have not been financed to their full potential. Based on UNEP’s analysis, a lack of resources has led to a limited uptake of measures to reduce emissions of pollutants across key economic sectors; an inability to invest in data analysis; and a lack of enforcement and implementation capacity4. Climate finance is one large untapped source of funding that can deliver cleaner air and a healthier environment. Unfortunately, only 2 per cent of international public climate finance intentionally tackles air pollution5, which is the share of funding that contributes to achieving the Paris Agreement. One example of such a mechanism that could be explored to achieve co-benefits is Japan’s Joint Crediting Mechanism.
Promising action and innovative technology and industry solutions are on the rise to address this health and environmental risk. Engagement of the industry and private sector will be critical for innovation and transformative action. This will help shift public and private investments towards less polluting practices in high impact sectors, such as energy, industry, agriculture, transport, waste, and residential sectors.
Objective
The workshop aims to convene experts and stakeholders to explore innovative sector-specific solutions for mitigating air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and discuss opportunities to increase finance for these solutions. This event is jointly organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), National Productivity Centre (NPC), Massive Earth Foundation (MEF), and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP) and supported by the Ministry of Environment of Japan.
For more information, including agenda and how to register, please visit this link.
