Publications·December 30, 2013
Focus and context. The 2013 report frames a turning point: high-profile pollution episodes in Beijing and Delhi and haze events elsewhere made air quality a mainstream public concern, creating political pressure and new openings for action. Clean Air Asia (CAA) positions its programs to respond—by strengthening capacity, broadening partnerships (including the health sector), and leading the development of a Guidance Framework for Better Air Quality in Asian Cities for presentation to governments in 2014.
The “Way Ahead” section sets the tone: CAA will double-down on rolling out practical tools (notably the Clean Air Scorecard) and on building training systems (Train-for-Clean-Air) to expand regional air-quality management support.
Mission and evolution. The report recaps CAA’s path from a UN-recognized regional network to today’s NGO with four core programs—Air Quality & Climate Change (AQ&CC), Low Emissions Urban Development (LEUD), Clean Fuels & Vehicles (CFV), and Green Freight & Logistics (GFL)—and a mission to translate knowledge into policies and actions that cut air pollution and greenhouse gases.
Program highlights
1) Air Quality & Climate Change (AQ&CC)
CAA advances good practices in monitoring and the use of evidence for policy. With ADB it produced Good Practice Guidance on Improving Air Quality Monitoring Systems in Asian Cities, laying out key capabilities—planning networks to international standards, QA/QC, public data dissemination, using results in policy, and sustaining resources. The guidance is meant for cities to benchmark their systems and identify gaps.
On city support, CAA worked with DKI Jakarta and Baguio on training and monitoring-system assessments (including recommendations toward an AQI), and with Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro on city-level emissions inventories that fed clean air action plans. The Clean Air Scorecard was applied in cities across China (Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Hangzhou, Jinan, Chongqing), the Philippines (Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro), Thailand (Chiang Mai) and Viet Nam (Bac Ninh, Cần Thơ) to assess AQM status and pinpoint improvements.
2) Low Emissions Urban Development (LEUD)
LEUD addresses the transport–urban nexus: rapid motorization, insufficient public/active transport, and weak planning are driving up energy use and emissions. CAA argues for integrating land use with sustainable modes and clean energy to decouple emissions from urban growth.
Tools and training featured prominently. The Rapid Assessment of City Emissions (RACE) helps cities explore low-emission development strategies; CAA and Chreod supported Batangas in applying the RACE toolkit and trained local stakeholders. By 2013, Ho Chi Minh City, Colombo, Ahmedabad, and Batangas had applied RACE. For regional policy design, CAA co-developed Visioning and Backcasting Tools under the ASEAN Long-Term Transport Action Plan to analyze transport CO₂ mitigation pathways and build policy roadmaps to 2050. CAA also produced an Environmentally Sustainable Transport toolkit for Philippine local governments (piloted in Baguio, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro) to craft city-level measures cutting GHG and air pollutants.
3) Clean Fuels & Vehicles (CFV)
The CFV program tackles fuels, standards and in-use fleets. A 2013 CAA study of 500+ buses across three Indian state operators (BMTC, KSRTC, SETC) showed that small fuel-efficiency interventions can yield substantial fuel-cost reductions, informing a bus fuel-efficiency roadmap and a dedicated session at India’s Urban Mobility Forum.
CAA also partnered under the CCAC Diesel Emissions Initiative to reduce black carbon from heavy-duty diesel, establishing projects with Bangladesh (DOE–MOEF) and Viet Nam (Ministry of Transport)—spanning low-sulfur diesel, cleaning in-use fleets and ports, and building toward a global Green Freight initiative. Regionally, CAA convened the 1st Clean Fuels & Vehicles Forum in ASEAN (hosted by Singapore NEA) to advance policies on low-sulfur fuels, fuel-economy standards, and cleaner new and in-use vehicles, while promoting learning and alignment across countries.
4) Green Freight & Logistics (GFL)
The freight sector (a small share of vehicles yet a large slice of transport emissions) demands coordinated public–private action. In 2013, CFV/GFL efforts dovetailed: through CCAC’s diesel initiative, CAA pushed freight efficiency and supported the emergent global Green Freight agenda, engaging governments and companies toward harmonized programs and standards.
Country and office spotlights
China. CAA nurtured regional air-quality management collaboration across the Yangtze River and Pearl River Deltas—linking local authorities, city clusters and the national ministry—while applying diagnostic tools (e.g., Clean Air Management Assessment) in multiple cities.
India. Beyond bus efficiency, CAA piloted people-centred urban-mobility work: it introduced a Bikeability Index in Delhi (evolving from CAA’s Walkability Index/App) and developed the TRAM (Tool for Rapid Assessment of Urban Mobility) with UN-Habitat and ITDP to enable fast, low-cost mobility diagnostics for data-scarce cities.
Southeast Asia. Within AQ&CC and LEUD, CAA supported Philippine cities (Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Baguio) on inventories, AQM diagnostics and policy toolkits; Viet Nam cities (Bac Ninh, Cần Thơ) and Thailand’s Chiang Mai applied the Scorecard; Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam) used RACE to inform long-term pathways.
Through-lines and “the way ahead”
Across programs, 2013 consolidates CAA’s evidence-to-policy model: build data systems and diagnostic tools; train city and national officials; convene regional fora; and align sectoral levers in transport and freight with broader air-quality and climate goals. The organization’s forward plan emphasizes: (a) rolling out Scorecards and training (T4CA); (b) finalizing and socializing the Guidance Framework with Asian environment ministries; and (c) expanding multi-sector collaboration, especially with health, to embed air-quality co-benefits.
The report also reiterates the public-health imperative—7 in 10 urban residents in developing Asia face unhealthy air—and the uneven state of AQM capacity, motivating CAA’s role as a regional training and knowledge hub.
Bottom line: 2013 is a build-out year. CAA deepens city-level assessment and planning, strengthens monitoring guidance, speeds up transport and freight solutions (from bus efficiency to clean fuels), and lays the policy scaffolding (Guidance Framework, ASEAN dialogues) needed to scale science-based AQM across Asia.
Keywords (selection)
Guidance Framework for Better Air Quality; Train-for-Clean-Air (T4CA); Clean Air Scorecard; Emissions inventory; Air-quality monitoring; AQI; Rapid Assessment of City Emissions (RACE); Visioning & Backcasting Tools (ASEAN); Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) toolkit; Walkability/Bikeability Index; TRAM (mobility assessment); Fuel-efficiency (buses); Low-sulfur fuels; Fuel-economy standards; Global Green Freight initiative; Black carbon; Short-lived climate pollutants; Regional collaboration (YRD/PRD); Evidence-to-policy.