Better Air Quality conference (BAQ 2010) will be held in the unique city of Singapore from 9 to 11 November at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre.
BAQ is the largest gathering on air quality in Asia, covering transport, energy, industry and climate change, with a particular emphasis on government policies and measures. Policy makers and practitioners meet at BAQ to network, learn and share experiences. Past BAQs have proven to influence policies, initiate new projects and establish partnerships.
History. First organized as a local workshop by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2001, BAQs have become major regional events through the efforts of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities Center (CAI-Asia) and its partners. CAI-Asia has co-organized regional BAQ conferences in Hong Kong (2002), Philippines (www.baq2003.org), India (www.baq.2004), Indonesia (www.baq2006.org), and Thailand (www.baq2008.org). Now held every two years, the BAQ conference regularly attracts close to a thousand participants from Asia and the rest of the world. The event receives ample coverage by local and international media, including TIME Magazine and the International Herald Tribune. For more information regarding BAQ 2010, please visit www.baq2010.org.
Theme. The BAQ 2010 theme is “Air Quality in a Changing Climate” reflecting the growing relevance of climate change for air quality management, the rapid urbanization in Asia that requires a total shift in city planning, and the changing role of development agencies from being a financier to a provider of expertise and experience needed to develop cities sustainably.
• Climate change is receiving growing international attention and there is increasing evidence that air pollution interacts with climate change. Therefore it is vital to address air pollution and climate change mitigation through integrated policies and projects.
• Over the next decades, hundreds of millions of people will be added to Asian cities. Rapid urbanization is putting cities under pressure to absorb additional inhabitants while ensuring that the air becomes cleaner, fuel use and carbon footprint are reduced, and cities remain accessible and livable.
• Asian countries are developing rapidly economically, and thus are increasingly able to finance their own development. The role of development agencies is changing from being a financier to providing expertise and experience needed by developing countries to build their own capacity in developing their cities, transport systems and industries in a sustainable fashion.
Conference Program. BAQ is a 3-day conference. The BAQ format consists of plenary sessions, breakout sessions, country roundtables, poster presentation, exhibits, social events and press conferences and launches.
Pre-events and post-events. Pre-events and post-events are held during the day preceding and the day following the conference by different organizations on a range of topics related to air quality, such as air pollution from power plants, fuel economy of vehicle fleets, public transport, or the co-benefits of climate change and air quality management. Pre- and post- events can take the form of training courses, workshops, roundtable discussions, or field trips/excursions.
Participants. 600 participants are expected to participate in BAQ 2010 from more than 35 countries worldwide, with one-third coming from outside Asia. Some participants will come from CAI-Asia’s country networks in China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Key government and local government officials as well as representatives from academe, NGOs, development agencies, and private sector are expected to participate.
CAI-Asia encourages you to submit abstracts on
- Sustainable Cities and Urban Development
- Air Quality and GHG Monitoring and Impacts (covering all sources)
- Air Quality Management & Climate Change Mitigation (covering all sources)
- Transport Systems and Modes
- Clean Fuels and Vehicles
Abstracts can cover academic, technical- or policy-related studies, projects and programs, and technologies, and should indicate to which topic relevant to the BAQ theme. An Asian focus is required and abstracts can relate to the city, national or regional levels. Abstracts with a focus on Europe, USA, or others parts of the world should clearly state the relevance of the proposed paper to Asia. Priority will be given to abstracts which focus on new research and innovative policies and solutions and that are relevant to the theme.
Please submit your abstracts with maximum 300 words, reference to one of the five topics above and at least 3 keywords to gianina.panopio(at)cai-asia.org, with a copy to baq2010(at)cai-asia.org. Deadline for submission is 15 May 2010.