Better Air Quality 2010

Singapore : 9 November 2010 - 11 November 2010

Background

The Better Air Quality (BAQ) conference is Asia’s largest gathering of air quality stakeholders from government, civil society, academe, private sector, and the international development community.

First organized as a local workshop by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2001, BAQs have become major regional events through the efforts of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities Center (CAI-Asia) and its partners. CAI-Asia has co-organized regional BAQ conferences in Hong Kong (2002), Philippines (2003), India (2004), Indonesia (2006), and Thailand (2008). ADB has been supporting BAQ conferences as a cofounder of CAI-Asia.

Now held every two years, the BAQ conference regularly attracts close to a thousand participants from Asia and the rest of the world. The event receives ample coverage by local and international media, including TIME Magazine and the International Herald Tribune.

BAQ 2010 consists of

Plenary sessions
Country Roundtables
Poster sessions
Exhibits
Social events
Press conferences and launches

Read more from the Better Air Quality (BAQ) 2010 website

Theme

Air Quality in a Changing Climate

This year's theme reflects three key developments:

The growing relevance of climate change for air quality management. Climate change is receiving growing international attention and there is increasing evidence that air pollution interacts with climate change. Therefore it is vital to address air pollution and climate change mitigation through integrated policies and projects.
The rapid urbanization in Asia that requires a total shift in city planning. Over the next decades, hundreds of millions of people will be added to Asian cities. Rapid urbanization is putting cities under pressure to absorb additional inhabitants while ensuring that the air becomes cleaner, fuel use and carbon footprint are reduced, and cities remain accessible and livable.
The changing role of development agencies. Asian countries are developing rapidly economically, and thus are increasingly able to finance their own development. The role of development agencies is changing from being a financier to providing expertise and experience needed by developing countries to build their own capacity in developing their cities, transport systems and industries in a sustainable fashion.

Target participants

About 500-600 participants are expected to participate in BAQ 2010 from more than 35 countries worldwide, with one-third coming from outside Asia.

Some participants will come from CAI-Asia’s country networks in China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam.

Key government and local government officials as well as representatives from academe, NGOs, development agencies, and private sector are expected to participate.