Better Air Quality Conference 2026: Daily Update – 13 March 2026

by Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat (CCAC) - 13 March, 2026

The final day of the Better Air Quality Conference 2026 focused on a central question: how to translate momentum into implementation.

Across three days of discussions, one message became increasingly clear: The knowledge, policy tools, and technologies to reduce air pollution already exist.

What is needed now is stronger systems to implement them at scale.

For CCAC partners, several strategic signals emerged from the discussions that may shape the next phase of clean air action across Asia and the Pacific.

A shift in how clean air is being framed

A notable shift at BAQ 2026 was how air quality is increasingly being positioned. Rather than being treated primarily as an environmental issue, clean air is now being framed as a development, health, and investment priority.

Discussions repeatedly linked air pollution to:

Public health systems
Economic productivity
Energy transitions
Transport and urban systems
Agricultural and waste management practices

This reframing will help governments, development banks, and investors approach air quality, integrating clean air into broader development and climate agendas.

For CCAC partners, this shift reinforces the importance of positioning super pollutant mitigation within broader development strategies, where it can deliver rapid health and climate benefits.

The bottleneck is no longer knowledge and information, it is implementation

Many countries in the region are expanding national clean air policies and programmes. Several governments highlighted recent actions, such as:

National air quality management plans
Updated industrial and vehicle emission standards
Expansion of monitoring networks
Policies addressing emissions from brick kilns, agriculture, transport, and waste burning

However, speakers consistently noted that implementation capacity is now the primary constraint. Common challenges include:

Limited technical capacity for air quality management
Weak enforcement systems
Fragmented institutional responsibilities
Insufficient project preparation for investment

This signals a growing need for practical implementation support, including technical assistance, sectoral guidance, and capacity building to translate policies into operational programmes.

Regional cooperation is becoming central to clean air strategies

Air pollution in Asia frequently crosses national borders, particularly in major regional airsheds. As a result, countries are increasingly prioritising regional cooperation.

Frameworks such as the Asia-Pacific Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution (RAPAP) and other regional initiatives are helping strengthen collaboration on monitoring systems, emissions inventories, and policy approaches.

South–South cooperation also emerged as an important pathway for accelerating progress. Countries are increasingly sharing lessons on policy design, monitoring systems, and sectoral mitigation strategies.

For CCAC partners, this highlights the growing importance of regional platforms that enable knowledge exchange and coordinated action across borders.

Data and monitoring remain foundational

Reliable monitoring and emissions data remain essential for effective air quality management.

Many countries are prioritising efforts to:

Expand national monitoring networks
Strengthen emissions inventories
Integrate satellite and ground-based monitoring
Improve transparency and access to air quality data

Advances in digital monitoring systems and low-cost sensors are creating new opportunities to better understand pollution sources and track policy impacts.

Financing was another major focus of the final discussions.

While the economic and health costs of air pollution are widely recognised, speakers noted that air quality initiatives still receive only a small share of development finance.

Participants emphasised that scaling clean air action will require:

Integrating air quality goals into transport, energy, and urban investments
Expanding blended finance mechanisms
Strengthening project preparation and investment pipelines
Mobilising private sector participation

Importantly, several speakers stressed that the challenge is often not the absence of funding, but rather the absence of projects and policies capable of absorbing and directing investment effectively.

The discussions at BAQ 2026 suggest several priorities that will likely shape the next phase of clean air action across the region:

Supporting implementation systems

Countries increasingly have strategies and policy frameworks in place. The next phase will require stronger institutional capacity, enforcement systems, and sectoral implementation support.

Advancing integrated climate–air quality action

Reducing super pollutants offers one of the fastest opportunities to improve air quality while slowing near-term climate warming. Aligning clean air action with climate and energy transitions will be critical.

Strengthening regional collaboration

Addressing transboundary pollution and shared airsheds will require stronger regional platforms, coordinated monitoring systems, and joint policy approaches.

BAQ 2026 brought together more than 1,100 participants from over 50 countries, reflecting growing regional momentum on the clean air agenda.

For CCAC partners, the opportunity ahead lies in supporting countries to translate policy commitments and scientific knowledge into practical action that delivers measurable improvements in air quality, public health, and climate outcomes.