Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities 2009 Annual Report

The 2009 report captures a transition year in which the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) deepened its role as a regional convener and technical hub linking air quality and climate change—and readied the ground for the 2010 Better Air Quality (BAQ) Conference under the theme “Air Quality in a Changing Climate.” It frames rising political attention to climate (post-COP15) as both an opportunity and a risk: climate can overshadow local air-pollution priorities unless the co-benefits of integrated policy are made explicit. CAI-Asia positions itself to bridge that gap with data, tools, and multi-stakeholder platforms.

State of air and the co-benefits case. Across 230 Asian cities, annual average PM₁₀ concentrations in 2008 averaged ~90 µg/m³, with only ~1% of cities meeting the WHO guideline (20 µg/m³) and ~40% meeting the 70 µg/m³ interim target—evidence that most urban residents breathe unhealthy air. Monitoring of PM₂.₅ and O₃ remained sparse. The report argues for integrated management because the same combustion sources emit both air pollutants and CO₂, short-lived pollutants (ozone, black carbon) have immediate climate effects, and institutional capacity is limited—making combined strategies more cost-effective.

Strategy and partnership architecture. CAI-Asia (a UN Type II Partnership since 2007) works through a Partnership Council, a Manila-based Center with Board of Trustees, and Country Networks (China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam). Its 2009–2012 strategy pursues three outcomes: (1) strengthened and harmonized policies/standards; (2) enhanced national/local frameworks for sound programs and urban development; and (3) improved monitoring, measurement, and information on air, health, climate, energy, and transport. The model is to “scale out” within cities via integrated, multi-sector planning and to “scale up” to thousands of cities via networks and knowledge systems.

Air Quality levels, standards, and monitoring. A review of 18 countries finds most have ambient standards but lack roadmaps to converge toward WHO guidelines; links to fuel/vehicle and stationary-source standards are often unclear; health ministries rarely have explicit AQM roles; and monitoring networks are typically too sparse to capture hotspots. CAI-Asia began country diagnostics with partners (e.g., Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines) to prepare city Clean Air Action Plans and prioritize legal/mandate fixes.

Tools and knowledge platforms. 2009 saw the launch of the Clean Air Portal (integrating CitiesACT databases and Communities of Practice) as the first-stop knowledge entry point for policymakers and practitioners. City- and project-level tools matured: the Clean Air Scorecard (three indices: Air Pollution & Health, Capacity, Policies & Actions) benchmarks a city’s AQM status; TEEMP and transport co-benefits toolkits estimate emissions impacts for roads, BRT, rail, bikeways, walkability, pricing and eco-driving; company-level integrated GHG/air-pollutant accounting pilots began with private partners. A regional dataset on energy/transport indicators (13 countries, 25 cities) was initiated to benchmark AQ/GHG metrics.

Measuring emissions & long-term pathways. Methodology work emphasized ASIF decomposition and a visioning–backcasting approach. An international low-carbon transport study (with the Institute for Transport Policy Studies) estimated 7-fold growth in Southeast Asia’s transport CO₂ emissions by 2050 under BAU and showed that only a combined avoid–shift–improve package can meet equal-per-capita targets—technology alone is insufficient.

Sustainable transport and SUMA wrap-up. The Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia (SUMA) program concluded, having catalyzed BRT (Ahmedabad award-winning system), cycling systems (Pune, Nanded), and national/urban strategies (Philippines, Indonesia). SUMA’s “inverted triangle” framework prioritizes people over vehicles, with implementation support via process facilitation, technical advice, and financing pathways. CAI-Asia also supported a Mandaluyong (Philippines) pilot to replace two-stroke tricycles, using a revolving fund—drivers paid loans from fuel savings; e-trikes were tested as alternatives.

Green freight and fleets. A Guangzhou green trucks pilot (with World Bank, US EPA, Cascade Sierra) demonstrated fuel/emissions savings: ~18% on garbage trucks using low-rolling-resistance tires and tire-pressure monitoring, and ~6.6% on long-haul trucks with aero kits (speed constraints limited gains). Results seeded a Guangdong demonstration and design of a national Green Freight China program adapting SmartWay concepts. Regionally, cities flagged freight as a priority during China’s City Workshop on vehicle-emissions management. CAI-Asia also helped launch UNEP’s Clean Fleet Management Toolkit in Asia (e.g., Meralco fleet, 16% fuel savings) and trained operators across the region.

Walkability evidence and advocacy. Multi-city Walkability Surveys (Cebu, Davao, Manila; Colombo; Hanoi/HCMC; Jakarta; Karachi; Kathmandu; Kota; Hong Kong; Lanzhou; Ulaanbaatar) found overall poor conditions (scores 45–70/100), worst around public transport terminals (54/100), and very low accessibility for persons with disabilities (39/100). Without improvements, 81% of respondents would shift modes—implicating rising emissions. Findings supported car-free zones (e.g., Kathmandu’s Durbar Square in related work) and guided Complete Streets trainings and public campaigns.

Stakeholder dialogues and networks. The Regional Dialogue with 13 development agencies prioritized assistance needs (monitoring & health assessment; fuel/vehicle roadmaps; I&M; government capacity; public awareness). The China City Workshop (with MEP/Qingdao/ADB) set four vehicle-emission management priorities: regulatory frameworks, clarified mandates/capacity, inter-agency coordination, and attention to the freight sector (interest in a SmartWay-like program). CAI-Asia also co-launched the Network of City Networks with CDIA to improve collaboration among regional city alliances.

Public engagement and capacity. The Save the Air / Ligtas Hangin campaign marked the Clean Air Act’s 10th anniversary in the Philippines; a Clean Air 10 Declaration called for technology databases, media strategies, strengthened local enforcement, and dedicated financing. The Blue Skies Exchange placed young professionals across countries to apply the Scorecard, run walkability assessments, and build monitoring SOPs—links among institutions (e.g., Hong Kong PolyU with Viet Nam and Sri Lanka) continued beyond exchanges.

Governance & finance. The Partnership and Board rosters are listed; support and income totaled US$ 2.168 M (2009), with US$ 1.819 M in grant expenses (largest share: SUMA), US$ 0.272 M G&A (12.6% of revenues), and an unqualified audit opinion (Philippine Financial Reporting Standards).

Bottom line: 2009 solidifies CAI-Asia’s evidence-to-policy pathway—data and diagnostics → tools and training → multi-stakeholder alignment → on-the-ground pilots—across cities and sectors. It advances clean fuels & vehicles, green freight, walkability, and emissions measurement, while building the regional knowledge plumbing (Portal, databases, Scorecard) and aligning partners for airshed-scale cooperation in the next cycle.

Keywords

PM₁₀ levels in 230 Asian cities; PM₂.₅/O₃ monitoring gaps; co-benefits (air quality & climate); Clean Air Portal; CitiesACT; Clean Air Scorecard; TEEMP; ASIF methodology; visioning–backcasting; SUMA (Sustainable Urban Mobility in Asia); BRT (Ahmedabad); Two-stroke tricycle phase-out (Mandaluyong); Walkability Survey (21 cities); Complete Streets; Clean Fleet Management Toolkit (Meralco 16% savings); Green trucks pilot (Guangzhou 18%/6.6% savings); SmartWay-style green freight; Vehicle I&M; Regional Dialogue with development agencies; Network of City Networks; Save the Air / Ligtas Hangin; BAQ 2010 (Air Quality in a Changing Climate).