International Energy and Climate Policy - CDM

CDM & urban air pollution: Partnerships enhancing synergies in urban air quality and kyoto mechanisms

The CURB-AIR project will pave the way for more synergies in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) with reduction of air pollution. Urban air pollution is a serious health problem in large Asian cities. Often, policy makers in those cities are not sufficiently equipped with budget or capacity to address urban air pollution. The CDM could provide finance for air pollution reduction if the measures taken also reduce greenhouse gases. Often there is room for synergy, as there is a strong sectoral overlap between sources of air pollution and sources of CO₂. Through NGOs and research institutes in the mega cities of Bangalore, Jinan, Bangkok and Jakarta, the CURB-AIR project partners with urban and national governments will contribute to realising more possibilities for maximising synergies between CDM and air quality. The main activities are the identification of local projects through literature and case studies, multi-level government capacity building including partnership work on the projects and structural policy, and the dissemination of the results to other cities in the region.

The project will address urban air pollution problems in the following cities: Bangkok (Thailand), Jakarta (Indonesia), Jinan (People’s Republic of China) and Bangalore (India).

Reports:

• The clean development mechanism and curban air pollution: a handbook for policymakers (2008). 
• CDM viability of CURB-AIR cases: Four Asian Projects Evaluated (2008).

For more information please contact Stefan Bakker