IIASA is participating in Clean Air Week 2025, taking place from 24-28 November at the Sukosol Hotel in Bangkok. Throughout the week, IIASA researchers will contribute to discussions, present recent findings, and support the organization of key sessions focused on air quality and climate-related challenges in Asia.
This week-long series of events convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners, including the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Clean Air Fund, will bring together government leaders, technical experts, private sector representatives, and civil society organizations to exchange knowledge and explore practical solutions for improving air quality across the Asia-Pacific region. The program has options for both in-person and online participation and features high-level dialogues, technical sessions, and networking opportunities designed to advance regional cooperation and accelerate clean air actions.
Click here for further information about Clean Air Week 2025.
IIASA participation at a glance
Tuesday, 25 November – Session T02 (World Bank)
On Tuesday, IIASA Pollution Management Research Group Leader, Zbigniew Klimont, will be joining the panel in session T02, organized by the World Bank. The results that will guide the discussion draw on IIASA’s contribution to the World Bank’s work in the Indo-Gangetic Plane and Himalayan Foothills (IGP-HF), reflecting ongoing collaboration to address air pollution across this region.
Wednesday, 26 November – Session W01 on Cost of Inaction (UNEP & WHO ACE)
On Wednesday, Klimont will give a short talk and take part in the panel discussion during a session on the Cost of Inaction, organized by UNEP and the World Health Organization's Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific Region (WHO ACE). Much of the reference material prepared for the session relates directly to IIASA’s work on the cost of inaction, for which reports and a policy brief are available on the IIASA website.
Thursday-Friday, 27-28 November – Workshop on Air Pollution and Climate Policies in ASEAN
On Thursday and Friday, IIASA and the Interprofessional Technical Centre for Studies on Air Pollution (CITEPA) will run an invitation-only Workshop on Air Pollution and Climate Policies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). All presentations during these two days will be delivered by IIASA and CITEPA experts. Together with Klimont, IIASA researchers Gregor Kiesewetter and Susanna Dedring from the Pollution Management Research Group in the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program will participate throughout the workshop, giving talks and leading the discussions. This workshop is linked to a project funded by Expertise France that concludes this year, and it serves as the final event where the project findings will be presented to participants from the ASEAN policy community, delegated by the ASEAN Secretariat.
While onsite participation is fully booked, online participation remains open for the first three days.
Background
The Asia-Pacific region remains at the forefront of efforts to combat air pollution, which continues to reach some of the world’s highest levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Despite ongoing initiatives, many cities still face unhealthy air quality levels, underscoring the need for sustained and coordinated action.
Improving air quality delivers multiple benefits beyond public health, including mitigating climate change and supporting sustainable development. While pollution sources vary by location, key contributors include emissions from fossil fuel combustion, transport, industry, brick kilns, agriculture, domestic fuel use, and open waste burning.
Encouragingly, effective and affordable solutions are available and already being implemented in several countries. Strengthening regional cooperation is essential to scale up these efforts. This commitment was reaffirmed by Member States through the UNEA-6 resolution 6/10 on Promoting Regional Cooperation on Air Pollution to Improve Air Quality Globally, highlighting the shared responsibility to ensure cleaner air for all.
Upcoming Events
Hybrid: online and at the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Public lecture: Digitalization and AI within planetary boundaries
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand