Session 1.4: New Energy Solutions: Multi-Benefit Opportunities for Cities

May 22nd, 2019

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that nearly 91% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds WHO guideline limits, leading to serious health issues and in some cases deaths. Presenters in this session highlighted the range of social, environmental, health and safety and climate change benefits that new urban energy systems can offer to urban communities.

Moderator: Na Won Kim, Senior Environment Specialist, ADB

Scene Setter Talk: Bruce Dunn, Director, Environmental Thematic Group, ADB/Clean Air Asia

Presenters:

Strengthening Co-Benefits of Health, Climate Change and Air Quality Improvement in Energy Investments in Asian Cities
Emma Marsden, Senior Environment Specialist/Deputy Executive Director, ADB/Clean Air Asia
Glynda Bathan, Deputy Executive Director, Clean Air Asia

Asia and Pacific has the highest number of air pollution deaths annually in the world. Through a regional technical assistance initiative, ADB assessed the strengths and improvements needed for air quality management in four cities, and made recommendations to mainstream air quality in urban development. This presentation provided an overview of the initiative and also highlighted ADB’s work on improving policies and regulations, supporting targeted investments backed by green financial mechanisms, and appropriate technologies.

Emission Reduction Effect of China’s Carbon Emission Trading Policy: Evidence from 113 Key Environmental Protection Cities
Yifei Zhang, Professor, International Business School

Adopting a carbon emission trading system provides a theoretical way to solve the problem of inefficient allocation of carbon emission rights and may bring huge potentials for energy saving and emission reduction. This presentation explored the emissions reduction effect of carbon emission trading mechanism using DID and PSM-DID measurement methods and city-level data from 11 pilot cities in China, from 2004 to 2015.

Integrating Renewable Energy through Participative Local Energy Planning
Angela Consuelo Ibay, Climate Change and Energy Programme Head, WWF-Philippines

This presentation highlighted lessons learned from provincial energy planning undertaken in the Philippines’ largest off-grid island, Palawan. The planning experience can be used to develop capacity of multi-stakeholder city power development planning groups to harness indigenous renewable energy resources, support clean energy projects, and to enable knowledge-sharing, thereby making cities more liveable.

Soot-Free Transport in ASEAN Countries
Adelaida Roman, Senior Program Specialist/Head, Air and Atmospheric Pollution Cluster, Regional Resource Center for Asia and the Pacific, Asian Institute of Technology (RRC.AP, AIT)

Resource Center for Asia and the Pacific, Asian Institute of Technology (RRC.AP, AIT)
The Regional Resource Centre for Asia and Pacific organized the ASEAN Countries Meeting on Soot-Free Transport, November 2018 to identify common obstacles to implement low-sulfur fuel and Euro 4/IV vehicle emission standards and advance to Euro 6/VI among member states. This presentation focused on current fuel quality and vehicle emission standards by ASEAN countries, opportunities and implementation challenges; implementation of Euro IV vehicle emission standards and roadmap to Euro VI.

Realizing Smart Cities
Anbu Anbumozhi, Senior Energy Economist, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia

This presentation discussed the strategies for realizing the Smart Cities, based on the initiative being undertaken ASEAN Smart City Network (ASCN). The focus of the presentation was more on the proven strategies of converting a city into a smart city. It reviewed what has been done in the major ASEAN cities regarding the energy revolution - energy access, energy resilience; how they conceptualize smart city –depending on the level of development, willingness to adopt and reform.