Dr. Chris Justice and Dr. Krishna Vadrevu were involved as conveners in the International Meeting on Air Pollution in Asia – Inventories, Monitoring and Mitigation in Hanoi, Vietnam from Feb 1st - 3rd, 2023. This Meeting was organized as part of the NASA LCLUC Program - South/Southeast Asia Research Initiative (SARI) initiative.
The meeting objectives included - 1) Review of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP) emission estimates, and methodologies from different sources, including biomass burning in the Asian region; 2). Understand the impact of GHGs and aerosols on local climate, including health impacts; 3). Explore the potential of satellite remote sensing datasets for quantifying pollutants, aerosols, and pollution episodes; 4). Review modeling approaches for characterizing emissions; 5). Strengthen the regional information exchange and training activities through effective collaborations.
The meeting brought together 75 participants from 13 different countries (including USA, Europe, and Asia) and facilitated new collaborations in the region. Various presentations highlighted the need for integrating top-down and bottom-up approaches for quantifying emissions. Quantifying particulate matter emissions and related health impacts were the primary concerns in South/Southeast Asian countries. The need for new research methodologies to reduce uncertainties in GHG emission inventories, including training activities on air pollution modeling was stressed.
The meeting report will be available in an upcoming issue of the NASA Earth Observer and a special issue of peer-reviewed journal articles is being published (Eds: Krishna Vadrevu, Toshimasa Ohara, and Chris Justice). Meeting presentations will be available through the NASA LCLUC website.