Author: Aurélia Lemoine

Third Meeting of the Lead Authors and Drafting Committee Members for the Fourth Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

6 August 2021 – Niigata, Japan

The Third Meeting of the Lead Authors (LA3) and Drafting Committee Members (DC3) for the Fourth Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia (PRSAD4) was held from 4-5 August 2021, virtually.

PRSADs are published every five years as comprehensive scientific assessment reports describing the outcome of EANET’s monitoring activities.

.

Participants from EANET’s Research Community

The meeting was organized online by the Network Center (NC) for the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET), Niigata, Japan.

The Drafting Committee (DC) members of the PRSAD4, including the Lead Authors, participated in the meeting. The NC and the EANET Secretariat also joined the meeting to discuss the progress of the report.

Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, the Director-General of the NC, delivered the Welcome remarks and Prof. Fan Meng, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, delivered the Opening address as the Chairperson of the Drafting Committee.

.

Review of the detailed structure of the PRSAD4

The detailed structure and contents from each chapter of the Regional Assessment of the Fourth Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia were presented and discussed with all meeting participants.

Figure 1- Screenshots from some presentations and discussions during the Third Meeting of the Lead Authors and Drafting Committee Members for the Fourth Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia

.

Each chapter was presented by its lead author(s) including Dr. Erdenebat Eldev-Ochir (Mongolia) for Chapter 1, Dr. Sergey A. Gromov (Russia) for Chapter 2, Dr. Le Ngoc Cau (Viet Nam) and Prof. Kazuhide Matsuda (Japan) for Chapter 3, Dr. Park Jin-soo (Republic of Korea) and Prof. Fan Meng (China) for Chapter 4, Prof. Atsushi Kume (Japan) for Chapter 5 and Dr. Toshimasa Ohara (Japan) for Chapter 6.

Several other reports’ preparations were also discussed during the two-day meeting.

.

Next Steps Before Publication

The PRSAD4 is scheduled to be shared as a final draft with EANET Participating Countries in August 2021, before being reviewed by the Twenty-First EANET Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC21) in October 2021 and finally approved by the Twenty-Third Intergovernmental Meeting of the EANET (IG23), in November 2021.

.

Access and read the previous publications of the Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia since 2006.

.

Photo credits: Beppu, Japan, by Priscilla Du Preez, free of the copyright license; all other images: all rights reserved to EANET.

Second Lead Authors’ Meeting and Second Drafting Committee Meeting for the Fourth Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

9 March 2021 – Niigata, Japan

The Second Lead Authors’ Meeting (LA2) and the Second Drafting Committee Meeting (DC2) for the Fourth Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia (PRSAD4) were held on 9 March 2021, virtually.

PRSADs are published every five years as comprehensive scientific assessment reports describing the outcome of EANET’s monitoring activities.

 .

Second Lead Authors’ Meeting and Second Drafting Committee Meeting

The meeting was organized online by the Network Center (NC) for the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET), Niigata, Japan.

Drafting Committee (DC) members from 13 participating countries of the EANET, namely, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Thailand, and Viet Nam, participated in the meeting. The NC, the EANET Secretariat, resource persons, and observers also joined the meeting to discuss the PRSAD4 preparation.

Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, the Director General of the NC, delivered the opening remarks and Prof. Fan Meng, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, delivered the opening address as the Chairperson of the Drafting Committee.

.

Structure and Content of the Regional Assessment of the Fourth Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia (PRSAD4) Review

The lead authors of the respective chapters, among which Dr. Sergey Gromov (Russia), Prof. Kazuhide Matsuda (Japan) Dr. Park Jin-soo (Republic of Korea), Dr. Keiichi Sato (Japan), Prof. Atsushi Kume (Japan) and Dr. Toshimasa Ohara (Japan) presented and discussed with participants the planned detailed structure and contents of the PRSAD4. Main discussions concerned the usage of data, calculation methods, and the process to follow to submit questions to each lead author and contributor.

.

Additional Publications Discussions

The Drafting Committee’s Secretariat presented the Consideration on Further Process of Report Preparation, as well as the draft Summary of the Twentieth Anniversary of EANET, and the session discussed their content.

The Third Lead Author’s Meeting (LA3) and The third Drafting Committee Meeting (DC3) for PRSAD4 will take place virtually on August 4th and 5th 2021.

.

Access and read the previous publications of the Periodic Report on the State of Acid Deposition in East Asia since 2006.

.

Photo credits: Niigata by Tokyo Kohaku, free of the copyright license.

Joint Projects of the EANET with Participating Countries – Development of an Emission Inventory Manual for Mongolia

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

31 May 2021 – Niigata, Japan

Scientists from the EANET Participating Countries and the Network Center (located in Niigata, Japan) have been promoting joint research projects related to the EANET. In response to Mongolia’s request, an Emission Inventory Manual for Mongolia was developed and published in 2018 to provide key scientific data, including estimates of emissions of air pollutants, for policymakers to develop air pollution control measures.

.

Assessing Air Pollution in Mongolia

Mongolia is facing serious air pollution problems, especially in the capital, Ulaanbaatar city, where the population density is high. Most emissions of air pollutants result from the use of coal in power plants and domestic cooking. The level of air pollutants is normally high during the winter season when coal is also used for domestic heating. Emissions of air pollutants from road traffic are also quite significant. The major air pollutants detected in Ulaanbaatar city are sulfur dioxides (SO2), particle matters (TSP, PM10, PM2.5), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

To assist Mongolia in tackling air pollution issues, several international donors and agencies (World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency) are developing and implementing projects for air pollution mitigation in Ulaanbaatar city. Since 2016, Clean Air Asia has been working closely with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia (MET) and the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring (NAMEM) on addressing air pollution at a national level.

 .

Developing Mongolia’s National Emission Inventory

In response to Mongolia’s request, the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), in collaboration with SUURI-KEIKAKU Co., Ltd, has developed an Emission Inventory Manual for Mongolia, as a part of the Integrated Programme for Better Air Quality in Asia (IBAQ Programme) of Clean Air Asia (CAA).

Available in Mongolian, English, and Japanese, the Emission Inventory Manual will be used for developing Mongolia’s national emission inventory of air pollutants and further support the formulation of effective air pollution control measures.

 .

Read the summary of the Emission Inventory Manual in the EANET Science Bulletin, Vol 5.

.

The authors appreciated the cooperation and assistance received from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia (MET), the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring (NAMEM), Clean Air Asia (CAA), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

.

Photo credits: Nogoonnuur, Mongolia, by Lightscape, free of the copyright license.

Joint Projects of the EANET with Participating Countries – Catchment Analysis in Thailand

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

10 June 2021 – Niigata, Japan

Scientists from the EANET Participating Countries and the Network Center (located in Niigata, Japan) have been promoting joint research projects related to the EANET. Consequently, the Network Center, in cooperation with the Thai Royal Forest Department, and the Environmental Research and Training Centre (ERTC), Thailand, conducted a joint research project on catchment analysis in Thailand to understand atmospheric deposition and its effects from 2005 to 2015.

.

Understanding Atmospheric Acid Deposition

Air pollution consists of significant amounts of aerosols (particulate matter) and trace gases (NOx, SOx, CO, and others). These air pollutants deposit on the earth’s surface through dry depositions and wet depositions (when dissolved in water droplets in clouds).

Wet and dry depositions of air pollutants cause detrimental impacts on the ecosystems and environment, including the acidification of the water bodies, such as rivers and lakes.

 .

Analyzing Acid Deposition and its Effects in Northeastern Thailand for Nearly 10 Years

The joint research project aimed to study the atmospheric wet deposition of acidic components and other relevant pollutants including elemental carbon, as well as their influence on water chemistry, chemical properties of soil, nutrient fluxes in soil-plant system, and sulfur dynamics in forest ecosystems.

For the catchment analysis, scientists from the Network Center established a study plot in a dry evergreen forest in Sakaerat Silvicultural Research Station, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand. The surveys on-site allowed researchers to accumulate nine full years of data, from October 2005 to December 2014.

Based on these results, several scientific papers were published in international journals focusing mainly on atmospheric deposition, soil and stream water chemistry. Ultimately, these scientific outputs significantly contributed to enhancing the global understanding of atmospheric deposition and its effects on forest ecosystems in the region.

.

Read the Report of the joint research project on catchment analysis in Thailand in the EANET Science Bulletin, Vol 5.

.

The authors acknowledged Jesada Luangjame, Thiti Visaratana, and Bopit Kietvuttinon, Royal Forest Department for their great contribution to the Sakaerat project including other colleagues who were involved in the project.  The study was supported financially by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (JP20120012) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT), Japan, the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (C-052, C-082 and B-0801) from the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, and Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN).

.

Photo credits: Sakaerat forest by Sase H., all rights reserved.

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 1

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

26 April 2021 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 1 for the EANET (WG2021-1) was held virtually from  20-22 April 2021. The meeting made good progress on several key results concerning the  EANET’s expansion of scope.

.

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 1

Nearly 70 participants, including members from the EANET Participating Countries, joined the WG2021-1 meeting.

At the meeting, the Participating Countries showed their keen interest in exchanging and brainstorming on the possible ways to prepare necessary arrangements for the expansion of the scope of the EANET.

Co-chaired by Thailand and by the Philippines, the session started with Welcome Remarks from Dr. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, followed by Opening Remarks by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

 

From left to right, screenshots from Dr. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director, UNEP for Asia & the Pacific, Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, ACAP, and Mr. Tomi Haryadi, EANET Coordinator.
.
Drafting the Expansion of Scope of EANET Instrument

The Working Group Meetings in 2021 Session 1 and 2 were established, following the decision of the IG22, in November 2020, to facilitate the  Participating Countries’ work on necessary arrangements for the expansion of the scope of the EANET Instrument.

Screenshots from discussions during the virtual Working Group meeting.

In the meeting, the Participating Countries had the opportunity to share their views on the initial draft text of the Supplementary Document to the EANET Instrument. On the second and third days, the Participating Countries reviewed other key documents, such as the proposed arrangements for the EANET project fund.

The discussions held at this meeting will continue during the WG2021-2 in August 2021 before submitting the final documents to the IG23 in November 2021.

.

Discover the virtual meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

.

Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 2

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

23 August 2021 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 2 (WG2021-2) took place from 18 to 20 August 2021, virtually, and gathered over 70 representatives of the EANET Participating Countries, Secretariat and Network Center for the EANET, to discuss the process of expansion of the scope of the EANET, among other important topics.

.

The Working Group Meeting in 2021 Session 2

Following the decision of the 22nd Intergovernmental Meeting (IG22) held in November 2020, the WG2021-2 was organized in the continuity of the WG2021-1 that took place in April 2021.

Co-chaired by Thailand and by the Philippines, the session started with Welcome Remarks from Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, followed by Opening Remarks by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

Figure 1: Welcome, Opening, and Closing Remarks delivered during the WG2021-2 meeting.

.

Sharing views on the Draft Text to Supplement EANET’s Instrument

Participants discussed their views and ideas on the development of a Draft text of the Supplementary Document to EANET Instrument, in the form of an Annex. Several items of the draft text were discussed, allowing Participating Countries to share suggestions and comments on how to best reflect the Network’s intention regarding future activities in the Region.

Other important topics, such as the Project Fund Mechanism and the Work Programme and Budget for the EANET in 2022, among others, were also discussed.

Figure 2: Screenshots from discussions during the virtual Working Group meeting.

The meeting’s Closing remarks were provided by Dr. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, and by Dr. Erdenebat, ACAP’s Deputy Director-General. As Dr. Erdenebat’s role as Deputy Director-General is coming to an end, he thanked all Participating Countries and colleagues from the Secretariat and the NC for their constant support.

.

Given the importance of the task assigned to them, Representatives from the EANET Participating Countries have agreed to meet again for a continued WG2021 Session 2 before IG23 in November 2021.

.

Discover the virtual meeting’s pictures on Flickr.

.

Photos credits: all rights reserved to EANET.

The Working Group Session 2 Meeting on Drafting MTP (2021-2025) and on Reviewing Scope of Instrument for the EANET

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

26 October 2020 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Working Group (WG) Session 2 Meeting on Drafting Medium Term Plan for the EANET (2021-2025) and on Reviewing Scope of Instrument for the EANET was held virtually from the 20th  to the 22nd  October 2020, gathering over 50 representatives from the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET)’s Participating Countries.

.

Shaping the Network’s future in action

Following the Session 1 of the meeting held last July, participants met again online to work together on the Medium Term Plan for the EANET (2021-2025) defining the Network’s future activities for the next 5 years, while also discussing a possible expansion of the scope of the EANET’s Instrument.

For three days, from 20-22 October 2020, National Focal Points and representatives from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea, Russia, Thailand, Philippines, and Viet Nam joined the EANET’s Secretariat, Network Center and the United Nations Environment Programme teams to discuss in detail how they envision the future of their Network.

The Session was initiated by the Welcome Remarks of Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, and Representative, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, who emphasized the importance of the mandate of the EANET, as part of growing momentum for international cooperation on air quality in the region.

Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research, delivered the Opening Remarks and highlighted the importance of the 2nd Working Group Meeting to determine the future activities of the EANET. Mr. Yuichi Nagasaka, Director of the Air Environment Division, Environmental Management Bureau, Ministry of Environment, Japan, also delivered Remarks to greet participants and reaffirm Japan’s support to the EANET.

.

MTP for the EANET (2021-2025)

At the end of the 3-day meeting, the Session agreed on Recommendations to be submitted to the 22nd Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting, next November (IG22).

Screenshots from some participants and Network Center and Secretariat Team members, discussing the various Working Group Session 2 Meeting agenda items

In these Recommendations, it is suggested to adopt the final draft of Medium Term Plan (MTP) (2021-2025) as well as the final draft of Work Programme and Budget in 2021 (WP&B 2021) that will be prepared according to the discussion at the Working Group Meeting sessions and relevant follow-up discussions.

In addition, the Working Group recommended the IG22 to recognize that “some activities relating to air pollution are a major interest to Participating Countries but may be beyond the current scope of the EANET. This includes types of activities and/or substances or targets areas that are related to air pollution beyond acid deposition” and to “ Express support for the need to expand the scope of the Instrument.”

EANET National Focal Points will meet again at the IG22, from 25 to 26 November 2020 through an online platform and discuss the finalization of the MTP (2021-2025) and Work Programme and Budget for the EANET in 2021 by considering the Recommendations of the WG Meeting.

.

Curious about EANET’s activity? Find out more about the next EANET Meeting dates on the Event’s page and discover the pictures of the Working Group Meetings on Flickr.

 

 

The Twenty-second Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting on the EANET

Posted on by Aurélia Lemoine

27 November 2020 – Bangkok, Thailand

The Twenty-second Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG22) on the EANET was held virtually from 25 to 26 November 2020. It was concluded by major decisions on the approval of the Medium Term Plan (MTP) (2021-2025) and Work Programme and Budget in 2021, as well as the decision to start expanding the scope of EANET’s Instrument.

.

The Twenty-second Session of the Intergovernmental Meeting

Over 50 representatives from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea, Russia, Thailand, Philippines, and Viet Nam participated in the IG22,  to discuss in detail how they envision the future of their Network.

Chaired by Thailand, the IG22 Session started with Welcome Remarks from Mr. Thalearngsak Petchsuwan, Deputy-Director General, Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand, followed by Opening Remarks by Dr. Dechen Tsering, Regional Director and Representative, United Nations Environment Programme for Asia & the Pacific, and by Dr. Shiro Hatakeyama, Director General, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research.

Screenshots from the Welcome and Opening Remarks delivered during the virtual IG22 meeting.
.
Medium Term Plan for the EANET (2021-2025)

After almost two years of conducting several discussions among the Participating Countries, the IG22 approved the MTP for the EANET (2021-2025). In addition, the Session approved the Work Programme and Budget for EANET in 2021.

Detailing the actions that will take place during the next five years, the MTP for the EANET (2021-2025) regroups activities related to five key objectives: Objective 1: Monitoring of acid deposition including related chemical substances with quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC), Objective 2: Promotion of data utilization and dissemination, Objective 3: Promotion of capacity building, Objective 4: Enhancement of outreach activities and Objective 5: Enhancement of cooperation and collaboration.

Screenshots from some participants discussing during the virtual IG22 meeting.

.

Future Activities Beyond Acid Deposition

The IG22 recognized activities related to air pollution as of major interest to Participating Countries, although considered beyond the current scope of the EANET.

For 20 years, based on the Instrument for the Strengthening the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET), the EANET has been working specifically on acid deposition monitoring.

Marking an important milestone for the Network, Participating Countries agreed to start the process of expanding the scope of the Instrument allowing the EANET to work on wider air quality and air pollution issues in the near future.

.

Find out more about the IG22 by reading the Report of the Session and discover the pictures of the IG22 Meeting on Flickr.

Photo credits: all rights reserved to EANET.