Thailand - Assessment of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) from Forest Fire and Open Burning in the Lower Mekong Sub-region to Support the ASEAN Haze Control

Rationale

Thailand plays a central role in advancing regional efforts to address the persistent challenge of transboundary haze pollution in Southeast Asia. In August 2023, the ASEAN adopted the Roadmap on ASEAN Cooperation towards Transboundary Haze Pollution Control with Means of Implementation (ASEAN Hazefree Roadmap) 2022–2030. This builds on the lessons learned from the previous Haze-Free Roadmap (2016–2020), whose final review highlighted gaps in Strategy 8: “Reducing health and environmental risks and protecting the global environment.” This strategy was scored “Low–Medium,” revealing a lack of comprehensive information on the health and environmental impacts of haze pollution.

To address this, the Hazefree Roadmap 2022–2030 recommends the introduction of a more robust and standardized approach to assess the socio-economic, environmental, health, and social protection impacts of haze. It also calls for the creation of a common database to track and correlate haze events with public health outcomes. In alignment with this goal, Thailand has proposed the “CLEAR Sky Strategy” to ASEAN, which promotes information exchange and the implementation of coordinated legislative measures.

Establishing a common database on the public health impacts of haze is a priority and a cross-cutting issue across the roadmap’s strategies. Its success depends on regional collaboration and the adoption of standardized methods and criteria for assessing and monitoring the health, economic, social, and environmental consequences of haze, including its links to climate change and global warming.

Objectives

• To develop a comprehensive emissions inventory of air pollutants, greenhouse gases (GHGs), and short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) from open burning and forest fires in the Lower Mekong Sub-region, using a standardized methodology that incorporates satellite data and emission factor reviews.

• To provide Thailand and neighboring Lower Mekong countries with a robust assessment of the impacts of open burning and forest fires on air quality, public health, and the environment, in alignment with the ASEAN Hazefree Roadmap 2023–2030.

• To establish a regional knowledge-sharing platform that consolidates emissions data, best practices, and socio-economic analyses to support evidence-based policy development and enhance awareness among stakeholders.

• To deliver historical and projected estimates of emissions associated with crop and forest burning, and assess their contributions to regional haze and climate change.

• To generate policy recommendations and promote the use of the knowledge-sharing database as a tool to guide legislative and strategic actions, including Thailand’s CLEAR Sky Strategy.

• To build capacity for regional cooperation on haze mitigation by facilitating data harmonization and supporting the implementation of coordinated emissions reduction strategies across the Lower Mekong Sub-region.

Activities

To achieve these objectives, the project will:

• Develop a standardized methodology to estimate emissions from open burning and forest fires in the Lower Mekong Sub-region, incorporating satellite-based hotspot data, statistical crop production information, and a review of relevant emission factors.
   

• Create a regional emission inventory that quantifies air pollution, SLCP, and GHG emissions across participating countries, providing a baseline for tracking progress and policy impact.
   

• Establish a knowledge-sharing platform that compiles emissions data, best practices, case studies, and socio-economic analyses, serving both as a public awareness tool and a resource for policy development.
   

• Conduct an online workshop to support the rollout and use of the knowledge-sharing platform, with a focus on engaging stakeholders from across the region.
   

• Deliver recommendations on how to leverage the database to support implementation of the ASEAN Hazefree Roadmap 2023–2030 and Thailand’s CLEAR Sky Strategy.
   

• Collaborate closely with national and regional stakeholders, including the CCAC Secretariat, to ensure alignment with ongoing haze mitigation efforts and to facilitate cross-border coordination on emissions reduction strategies.

Project Reference: : [23-051-TH-23-001t] Assessment of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) 
from Forest Fire and Open Burning in the Lower Mekong Sub-region to Support the ASEAN Haze 
Control