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YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA - The First Governmental Meeting on Urban Air Quality in Asia today welcomed an initiative by the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to develop a long term vision to improve air quality in Asian cities.

Such a vision can inspire Asian cities and countries to develop air quality management policies and programs, it was announced in the Governmental Meeting’s Yogyakarta Summary.

The Meeting aimed to support the efforts of Asian governments to achieve optimal air pollution abatement strategies. It also agreed to explore holding a Second Governmental Meeting on Urban Air Quality in Asia in 2008.

The Meeting, attended by representatives of 20 Asian countries, was a key event during the Better Air Quality (BAQ) 2006 Workshop being held from December 13 to 15. The Meeting was organized by CAI-Asia, Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment, the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) and UNEP.

The Yogyakarta Summary also recommended:

• Reviewing ambient air quality standards and air pollution Indexes. Since Asian countries use different methodologies to classify air quality and to communicate results to the public, a comparison of air pollution indices in different countries could increase their effectiveness.

• Developing roadmaps for fuel quality and vehicle emission standards for new vehicles. CAI-Asia has taken the initiative in developing a roadmap to improve fuel quality and tighten vehicle emission standards. This forms a basis for policymakers in Asia to reduce emissions from mobile sources. As a next step, countries are invited to formulate roadmaps for fuel quality improvement and to tighten new vehicle emission standards.

• Addressing fuel quality for stationary sources. There is a need to address the quality of fuels used by stationary sources, which have received less attention than mobile sources. This could start with documenting existing fuel qualities and the impact of using cleaner fuels on emissions of stationary sources. The improvement of fuel quality for stationary sources will in most cases be part of a more comprehensive and integrated strategy to reduce emissions from stationary sources.

• Strengthening, developing and implementing strategies to control emissions from in-use vehicles. This includes the regular inspection of in-use vehicles as well the regulation of the useful life of in-use vehicles and improved testing for imported used vehicles to ensure that they comply with emission regulations.

• Strengthening environmentally sustainable transport policies and systems. To provide the required mobility for a more sustainable movement of goods and persons, it is important to encourage the use of mass public transport systems through supportive and enabling policy and investment frameworks.

• Promoting the use of clean alternative and renewable energy. Fossil fuel is an important energy source which will be depleted sooner or later and is a major source of emissions. It is important to promote the development and use of alternative and renewable energy sources

• Promoting Eco-housing. Asia’s rapid urbanization is producing a large demand for housing, so countries need to consider the energy and emission implications. Information is available on eco-buildings with alternative designs and energy systems that reduce energy consumption and emissions.

• Supporting principles of the Aichi Statement. The recommendations of participants of the First Meeting of the Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport Forum organized by UNCRD in Nagoya in August 2005, outlined in the Aichi Statement, could help Asian cities and countries achieve environmentally and people friendly urban transport.

In addition, the Meeting acknowledged the need for intensified action to improve urban air quality in Asian cities. Participants noted that earlier efforts by local and national governments and other stakeholders to reduce urban air pollution have started to produce results. Ambient air quality in Asia, on average, is improving despite substantial increases in urban population, motorization and energy use. Notwithstanding the positive results of air quality management (AQM) efforts so far, it is accepted that additional and intensified efforts are required to bring air quality levels within the health-based national ambient air quality standards.

The Meeting also underlined the importance of effective and sustained approaches to improve urban air quality in Asian cities through:

• AQM based on sound science. This calls for strengthening of AQ monitoring, particularly the Quality Assurance and Quality Control of monitoring and the regular composition of emission inventories and source apportionment studies. The absence of such inventories and studies is a key obstacle to improving air quality management in Asian cities

• AQM efforts at urban, national, regional and global levels should be increasingly coordinated. These regional efforts would have a positive impact on regional air quality and could help shape urban air quality management

• Effective policies and programs to address the underlying causes for urban air pollution. The promotion of sustainable urban transport, clean technologies and energy conservation programs could prevent significant amounts of emissions but need to be combined with actions to address sources of air pollution from mobile and stationary sources. The adoption of sustainable urban transport, clean technologies and energy conservation programs would be facilitated by the development and adoption of incentive programs

• A co-benefits strategy combining and integrating urban air quality management and climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Urban air pollution and climate change have many common causes and often require similar management and mitigation strategies. The adoption of a co-benefit strategy could produce more effective results

• Local and national governments, civil society, academe and the business sector should join forces in implementing air pollution prevention and control measures.

“The Yogyakarta Summary is important not only for Indonesia but also for the region. Our government is very committed to achieving better air quality and we have developed innovative projects to support this such as cleaner and more efficient energy and environmentally sustainable transport systems such as Jakarta’s Bus Rapid Transport system,“ said Dana A. Kartaksuma, Assistant Minister for Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment.

“The Yogyakarta Summary takes us a firm step forward from monitoring air pollution towards the prevention of air pollution,” said Mylvakanam Iyngararasan, program specialist, of UNEP.

“The Summary is a key outcome of the Meeting on air quality to stimulate and influence decision makers to bring in sound policies and programs for better air for us and future generations,” said Choudhury Rudra Charan Mohanty, Environment Programme Coordinator for UNCRD.

“We are impressed by the depth and breadth of the Meeting’s support for improving air quality management in the region. This is an important step in developing a more comprehensive long term AQM strategy,” said Cornie Huizenga, head of the BAQ Secretariat.

At an earlier briefing at the BAQ 2006 Workshop, a World Health Organization official said that under new pollutant guidelines, it is estimated that over 750,000 people worldwide die prematurely from air pollution, including 530,000 in Asian cities. A recent ADB and CAI-Asia study estimates the economic costs of urban air pollution ranges from 2% to 4% of Gross Domestic Product.

The Meeting was attended by representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam as well as officials from observer organizations including ADB, World Bank, UN-ESCAP, SEI and WHO.

Media enquiries to Cornie Huizenga at chuizenga@adb.org or Ian Gill, BAQ media coordinator, at iajgill@gmail.com

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