Air pollution and the world of work Policies, initiatives and the current situation – a scoping and evidence review for Southeast and East Asia

This scoping report seeks to understand the differentiated impacts of air pollution on workers in East and Southeast Asian countries and identify evidence-based recommendations from regional case studies to help improve air quality and foster healthy employment in the context of just transitions towards a low-carbon economy. Following an introduction to the aims and scope of the report, chapter 2 presents data analysis of the current air pollution situation (sources, levels, exposure) and labour markets across 13 countries of Southeast and East Asia. Chapters 3 to 5 apply a desk review and evidence synthesis on the knowledge, policies, actions and innovations relevant to labour and air quality, including the social and health dimensions of air pollution exposure in the workplace and access to social protections. This report applies an intersectional gender lens throughout each section of the analysis and, as much as possible, considers both formal and informal work, though data and resources on informal and particularly unpaid or domestic work are limited. As a scoping study, this report does not intend to showcase solutions to the challenges identified, but rather to identify areas where further in-depth case studies may highlight ways forward.