Background

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a component of air pollution that includes a complex mixture of hundreds of carbon-containing gases. VOCs are noteworthy substances in the perspective of achieving co-control of PM2.5 and ozone, as VOCs are common precursors of both. In addition, apart from other substances, VOCs monitoring is much more complex than other air pollutants as it consists of more than a hundred species and has various lifetimes and characteristic sources. VOCs also include a wide variety of chemicals, some of which can cause short- and long-term adverse health effects. However, due to the unique characteristics of VOCs and the relatively high cost of measurement, VOC monitoring and its related activities are still at an early stage in the EANET region.

The EANET project “Capacity Building in Promoting VOCs in the EANET” has started with a feasibility study in 2023, and plans to implement full-scale activities from 2024 to 2026 following approval by the Intergovernmental Meeting (IG) on the EANET in the respective years. In 2023 and 2024, collaboration with pilot cities in  Mongolia and in the Philippines (2023), and Cambodia and Viet Nam (2024) was conducted.

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Key Partners in 2024
  • Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ)
  • German-Mongolia Institute for Resources and Technology, Mongolia (GMIT) (collaborator in the pilot city)
  • Supervising Environmental Management Specialist, Air Quality Management Section, Environmental Quality and Management Division (AQMS-EQMD), Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Philippines (collaborator in the pilot city)
  • Viet Nam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change (IMHEN), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Viet Nam (collaborator in pilot city).
  • Department of Air Quality and Noise Management, General Directorate of Environment Protection, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia (collaborator in the pilot city).
  • Center for Environmental Science in Saitama (CESS), Japan (technical supporter)
  • Institute of Atmospheric Environment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES), China (technical support)

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Objectives

The outcomes and lessons learned from this project are expected to greatly contribute to other cities in the Participating Countries of the EANET. The objectives are:

  • to understand the status of VOCs monitoring in EANET, based on the understanding of VOCs status in pilot cities;
  • to build capacity to prepare for VOC monitoring in pilot cities;
  • to formulate policy implications to improve VOC management in the coordinated control of PM2.5 and ozone;
  • to provide VOCs-related policy recommendations to the pilot cities and other activities including VOCs-related research with pilot cities.

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Useful Resources

 

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Find out more about the EANET Project Activities on the EANET Project Fund web page.

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