The ADB launches a program to improve air quality

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched the program Clean Blue Skies of Asia (ACBSP) to increase ADB’s investments in improving air quality in Asia and the Pacific.

Released in the joint forum of the Fourth Asia-Pacific Clean Air Partnership in the Republic of Korea, the ACBSP will support the preparation and strengthening of policies and plans in developing member countries of the ADB to stimulate investments in projects that benefit air quality, such as the reduction of greenhouse gases in energy , agriculture, transportation, industry and urban development, among other sectors.

“Air pollution not only endangers public health, but also significantly threatens the region’s environment, ecosystems and food security,” said Director General of the ADB’s Department of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Bruno Carrasco. .

Through the ACBSP, the ADB will support the improvement of the design and monitoring of the projects in a way that enhances the quality of the air in its DMCs.

The ACBSP will be implemented from the fourth quarter of 2022 to 2030 and will leverage the technical and financial resources of the ADB and its partners to build the capacity of DMCs in the design and implementation of investment projects with benefits for air quality and low emissions. of carbon.

The program will support DMCs in meeting their Nationally Determined Contributions to achieve carbon neutrality and meet Paris Agreement commitments.

The ADB has financed more than 2,500 million dollars in investments for the reduction of air pollution in the region in the last 8 years.

All investment projects financed or managed by ADB that have environmental safeguard requirements are required to assess the air quality impacts of the projects and to monitor air quality during project implementation.

The ADB aims to provide $100 billion in cumulative climate finance to its DMCs between 2019 and 2030.