Toward an Integrated Approach to Co-benefits in Asia: Building Bridges and Making Connections

The Japan Committee for International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) was established in 1972 to facilitate collaboration between researchers in IIASA and Japan. Since 2012, part of this collaboration has been in the form of a workshop aimed at strengthening the links between scientific and policy research on co-benefits, especially in Asia. For instance, last year’s workshop concluded with the following key messages:

  • Rather than starting with a climate change perspective on co‐benefits, air pollution control may be a good point of departure for Asia’s approach to co‐benefits.
  • The air pollution perspective on co‐benefits is particularly important in the case of tropospheric ozone (O3). In contrast to concentrating on methane (CH4) to mitigate O3, non‐methane precursors (namely NOx and VOCs) play a greater role in ozone formation in Asia
  • While other socioeconomic benefits are the main driver of climate actions, in some countries in Asia climate change is becoming an important motivation for action.

As these messages imply, there is a growing awareness of an integrated approach to air pollution and climate change policy in Asia. However, there is still considerable debate over how such an approach would be designed and implemented in the region. The purpose of this workshop is to begin to build bridges and make connections between researchers and policymakers to better define and operationalize an integrated approach in Asia.

This workshop will therefore consist of a series of panels that aim to make these connections. The workshop will begin with an opening session that highlights what we have learned about co-benefits and where we need to go. It will then follow with three panels on possible ways linking science and policy on co-benefits. It will conclude with panel discussion involving the four chairs from the three sessions that aim to synthesize the recommendations in the session into an integrated approach to co-benefits in Asia.

Objectives

  • To discuss an integrated approach to co-benefits in Asia
  • To determine how gap between and among policymakers and researchers can be reconciled by an integrated approach in Asia
  • To identify pragmatic alternatives for overcoming these difficulties
Date & Time:
March 6, 2014: 9:30 - 16:30
March 7, 2014: 9:15 - 11:50
Venue:
Pacifico Yokohama
(1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, 220-0012, Japan) http://www.pacifico.co.jp/english/facility/accessmap.html
Organisers:
Ministry of the Environment Japan
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Collaborator:
The Japan Committee for the International Institute for Applied Systems
Analysis (IIASA)
Meeting Documents:
Agenda
Presentation materials
http://www.iges.or.jp/en/network/iiasa_20140306.html
Proceedings
Proceedings of IIASA workshop