[sustran] News Release: CAI-Asia and World Bank Announce Collaborative AP and GHG Emissions Data Initiative for Asia

[Kaye Patdu]

*News Release: CAI-Asia and World Bank Announce Collaborative AP and GHG
Emissions Data Initiative for Asia*

METRO MANILA, 20 June 2010 – The Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities
(CAI-Asia) and the World Bank through its Development Grant Facility (DGF)
launched an Air Pollution and Greenhouse (GHG) Emissions Data Initiative to
help policy makers, development agencies and other stakeholders in Asia have
better access to air quality and climate change data to further enrich
policy development activities and development interventions relevant to
energy and transport sectors and urban development.

*Better Access to Data to Foster Policy Development*

While air pollution, GHG emissions and related data for Asia is growing, the
information is still fragmented. Data challenges in Asia are challenging –
particularly on accessing relevant data, understanding data quality and
their use for policy making, project development and monitoring.

This knowledge needs to be captured, consolidated and relayed to
policymakers to ensure that they base their decisions on sound science and
international best practices. Policymakers, development agencies,
corporations and others need reliable data in order to develop policies,
projects and measures, and measure their impact on emissions.

*Air Pollution and GHG Emissions Data Initiative*

As part of CAI-Asia’s strategy to “improve awareness and access to
information, tools and partners,”and CAI-Asia’s Knowledge Partnership for
measuring Air Pollution and GHG Emissions in Asia with World Bank’s DGF,
CAI-Asia and its partners conducted a review of the availability and quality
of air pollution, GHG emissions and related data and statistics for
transport and energy sectors. Data collection is now ongoing for these
countries – Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal,
Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Data and statistics collected through this initiative will be made available
through the CitiesACT database. General information regarding data quality
and/or data generation process/system will also be provided.

By the end of year, air pollution, GHG emissions and related data and
statistics for transport and energy sectors will be partially available in
the CitiesACT database.

*Call for Contributions*

Knowledge management initiatives such as this cannot be effectively achieved
by one organization alone. We would like to invite other institutions,
corporations, partnerships, forums and other groups working in this field to
contribute and share data on air pollution, GHG emissions and related data
and statistics for transport and energy sectors. All contributions will be
properly referenced in publications as well as in the online open database.

CAI-Asia’s projects with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies (IGES) and Institute for Transport Policy Studies
(ITPS) also contribute to this data initiative.

*For inquiries on this initiative or on how to share data, please contact*


   - May Ajero, Air Quality Program Manager: (may (dot) ajero (at)
   cai-asia.org)
   - Kaye Patdu, Air Quality Researcher: (kaye (dot) patdu (at) cai-asia.org
   )


*For more information on:*


   - CitiesACT database <http://citiesact.org/index.php>
   - Knowledge Partnership for measuring Air Pollution and GHG Emissions in
   Asia <http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/MeasuringAPandGHGEmissions>
   - CAI-Asia Strategy 2009-2012 <http://citiesact.org/index.php>


-- 
Cheers
Kaye

Maria Katherina Patdu
*Air Quality Researcher
*
*Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia Center) Center*
T +63 2 395 2843 to 45 | F +63 2 395 2846 | M +63 928 213 7241 |
kaye.patdu at cai-asia.org | http://cleanairinitiative.org/portal/
Unit 3504-05, 35F, Robinsons-Equitable Tower, ADB Avenue, Pasig City, 1605,
Philippines

*Please consider the environment before printing this email.*