Organizer: SC Candice Lung
Format: Online, Evening
Abstract:
Millions of deaths worldwide were attributable to PM2.5 (fine aerosols). Especially in Asia, World Health Organization estimated that ~ 2.2 million premature deaths in the Asia and the Pacific area every year were attributed to household and ambient air pollution. In order to tackle this challenge, low-cost sensors (LCS), an emerging new technology, can be used to study air pollution and health issues to reduce associated health risks, especially for the vulnerable population. LCS can measure local variations in pollutant exposures. In order to promote this research direction, one intensive training workshop focusing on “Air Pollution, Sensors, and Big Data” was held at Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan on July 10-14, 2017. Afterwards, discussion workshops and symposia were organized to facilitate regional collaboration. As a result, scientists from 13 countries of the Asia and the Pacific area have joined the “Health Investigation and Air Sensing for Asian Pollution (Hi-ASAP) Initiative” which was endorsed by Regional Centre of Future Earth in Asia as a regional activity in 2019. This initiative aims to conduct research providing policy-relevant findings to reduce PM2.5-associated health risks at national levels. In addition to evaluating health risks from PM2.5, we also want to best utilize the novel LCS in identifying high-PM2.5 areas and high-PM2.5 exposure populations in where governmental monitoring stations are sparsely distributed in these countries. In order to provide an opportunity for Asian researchers to discuss with and gain feedback from NGO representatives and policy makers on their research design, we propose this session titled “Future Earth Regional Activity on Air Pollution Sensing and Health in Asia” in this SRI2021. This session fits with the theme of “Sustainable Solutions from the Global South” and “Integrated Action for the SDGs” since Hi-ASAP aims to reduce health risks (one of SDGs) with substantial participation from Global South countries.
Themes: Integrated Action for the SDGs