In celebration of the first International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies ADB is launching a six-part knowledge series on Clean Air for Livable Cities.
In the knowledge series, experts from international organizations, research institutes, Governments and civil societies will come together to share global and regional insights on addressing air pollution. In particular the knowledge series will:
- Improve our understanding of the importance of clean air by sharing quantitative and qualitative information on the health and economic impacts of air pollution
- Recommend solutions for addressing air pollution at a national and city level in Asia and the Pacific
- Identify strategies for sustaining the clean air from the lockdowns post COVID-19 in Asian cities
- Stimulate project ideas for enabling clean urban development following holistic and multi-sectoral approaches
Event sessions
Clean Air - For a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous Society
7 September, Monday
To celebrate the first International day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, this webinar will kick off the knowledge event series on air quality. The webinar will be launched by ADB’s Vice President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, Mr. Bambang Susantano. The Panelists will discuss the importance of air quality, its impacts on the health and happiness of society and on economic growth. Based on current global and regional trends and lessons on managing air quality the panelists will recommend ways for addressing air pollution and promoting clean economic development in Asian cities and countries.
How Can We Sustain the Clean Air Post COVID-19?
17 September, Thursday
The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has compelled governments across the world to take dramatic measures to contain the spread of the virus. With the lockdowns and travel restrictions, human beings have been forced to change their behavioral patterns overnight. Countries and cities are facing severe health and socio-economic impacts. However, one of the notable environmental benefits has been the improvement in air quality. In this webinar, panelists will discuss: i) possible linkages between air pollution and increased vulnerability to COVID-19; ii) air quality impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown in Manila, Philipines and selected European countries; iii) lessons learned and possible measures to sustain the improved air quality post COVID-19.
Success Stories and Lessons Learned from Cities with Improved Air Quality
29 September, Tuesday
In this webinar, participants will learn about selected cities that previously had chronic air pollution problems but were able to undertake interventions that resulted in improved air quality. The panelists will recommend air quality improvement measures that can be applied to Asian cities.
Co-Benefits of Addressing Climate Change and Air Pollution
12 October, Thursday
Most air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHG) are generated by the same sources. Hence, an important co-benefit of air pollution reduction measures is reduced GHGs. With climate change as one of the most urgent global agendas and also a key component of ADB’s strategy 2030 there is an increasing emphasis for ADB projects to generate climate change benefits. This webinar will foster ideas for:
- development of future investment projects that can address both climate change and air pollution and are designed to quality for climate financing;
- monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for measuring GHG emission reduction;
- and other SDG related co-benefits generated from such projects.
Managing and Monitoring Air Quality in Ortigas
27 October, Tuesday
This is a targeted training program for the members of the Ortigas Center Association Inc. (OCAI) and relevant ADB staff. The training will: i) inform the partcipants on the concepts and methods of air quality monitoring and management; ii) present possible measures for improving urban air quality; iii) share best practices and lessons from ADB projects that addressed air pollution; and iii) identify possible actions that could be taken for improving air quality in the Ortigas area.
Cross-Sectoral Approaches for Improving Air Quality
23-24 November, Monday and Tuesday
Managing and improving air quality in cities require joint efforts of several sectors, such as urban, energy, transport, industry, health, private and finance. This webinar will discuss past and ongoing best practices in projects that have applied multisectoral approaches for urban development including addressing air quality. The webinar will generate ideas for future cross-sectoral projects in ADB to meet strategy 2030 operational priorities following new approaches such as the “one ADB” team approach.