Integrated Approaches for Air Quality Management & Climate Change in Southeast Asia -Preparation of a regional approach for Southeast Asia

The main purpose of this report is to offer concrete recommendations to Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) that would support the adoption and spread of integrated solutions to air pollution, climate change, health, and other development priorities in Southeast Asia. With that overarching objective in mind, the report proposes the creation of multi-tiered platform that would help strengthen the above integration at the subregional level. Initially, the proposed platform would focus on the five countries in Southeast Asia’s Mekong Subregion: namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. These countries are selected because they have ongoing activities concentrating on integration between air pollution and climate change (focused on short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs)) as partners in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). They are also chosen because a subset of countries will be easier to coordinate, creating a subregional base that can be expanded to other parts of Southeast Asia.The proposed platform would be designed to integrate work on air pollution and climate change not only within but between levels of decision making. • At the global and regional levels, the platform would contribute to ongoing efforts to provide a concrete example of how to operationalize integration air pollution and climate change for the following initiatives:1. The United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) (including an upcoming resolution on air quality);2. The United Nations Environmental United Nations Environment Programme (i.e. Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP));3. The United Nations Environmental Economic and Social Commission on Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) (Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution)); and 4. The East Asia Acid Deposition Network (EANET). • At the sub-regional level, the platform would focus on strengthening the implementation the ASEAN Haze Free Roadmap 2023-2030 under the auspices of the ASEAN Secretariat. In this case, the platform would focus would be on supporting and sharing experiences on the following scientific and capacity building activities:1. Air pollutant and greenhouse gas inventories and regional/global database management;2. Satellites, drones, and other modern technologies for air quality and climate change monitoring;3. Airshed mapping and air pollution/climate change source identification and appropriate controls;4. (Sub)regional guidelines on integrating air quality management and climate change mitigation and adaptation;5. Assessment of the state of transboundary haze pollution in the Mekong subregion;6. Examining ways to estimate burned areas and improve evaluations of the sources of haze;7. Developing air quality forecast for early warning of future levels of air pollution and health impacts; and8. Establishing a link between urban airsheds and transboundary air pollution. • At the national and local levels, the platform would also contribute to the above global, regional and subregional initiatives, while aiming to directly influence policy and implementation. In this case, the platform would be designed to support the following knowledge sharing and capacity building activities.1. Improved institutional arrangements (agencies, laws, regulations, strategies, plans) for an integrated approach to air quality and climate change;2. Information, knowledge management, and communication techniques to foster greater integration of air quality and climate change; and3. Local and national capacity building best practices and lessons learned (including from other regions)4. Management of agricultural residues through a circular economy approach and value chain creation;5. Strengthening inspection and maintenance of in-use vehicles; 6. Illustrating the advantage of dual technologies such as evehicles; and7. Promoting solar for schools and education on air pollution, climate change and health nexus.A select group of activities and projects would potentially received initial funding during the second stage of this GIZ project. However, to help strengthen and then scale these projects, GIZ could also use platform would also aim to strengthen links with climate and other funding mechanisms. Toward that end, efforts would be made to access resources from climate finance flowing from the Green Climate Fund; Asian Development Bank (Future Climate Fund and Blue Skies Programme), Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), and Article 6.4 Mechanism (under the Paris Agreement). GIZ could also make a concerted effort to work with are other countries to coordinate Official Development Assistance (ODA) for air quality management in Southeast Asia, including the United States, France, Korea, Japan, and China. Improved donor coordination is needed to ensure the most effective uses of limited funding supports.