GAW Report No. 205 - IGAC Project

CHAPTER 3 - ASIAMetro Manila Air Quality Improvement Sector Development PlanBeginning in 1999, the Asian Development Bank agreed to loan the Philippine governmentapproximately $296 million to address air pollution in Metro Manila. This programme, known as theMetro Manila Air Quality Improvement Sector Development Plan, was intended to help thegovernment implement its 1998 Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP). While the programme helped toeliminate lead from gasoline in Metro Manila, it did not fully achieve other intended outcomes, whichincluded: (i) mitigating air pollution from mobile sources; (ii) mitigating air pollution from stationarysources; (iii) improving fuel quality; (iv) reducing emissions from vehicular use; (v) reducing trafficcongestion and improving traffic flow; (vi) strengthening ambient air quality monitoring, evaluation,and reporting; (vii) intensifying public awareness; (viii) monitoring coordination and implementationof the AQAP; and (ix) strengthening the capacity of relevant institutions.The programme’s complexity demonstrated design inadequacies during its implementation,a problem compounded by the lack of permanent staff positions at the DENR to sustain theprogramme efficiently and to maintain the air quality monitoring network.Climate change policiesThe Philippines is a signatory to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change andratified the Kyoto Protocol in 1998. The National Action Plan was formulated in 1997, whichprovides guidance on prioritizing mitigation measures. In 2006, the DENR launched the PhilippineGreenhouse Gas Accounting and Reporting Programme (PhilGARP) to encourage the privatesector to undertake voluntary actions on the inventory of greenhouse gas (GHGs) and identificationof mitigating measures. The President of the Philippines signed the Climate Change Act of 20 in2009, which will establish a commission to develop a Framework Strategy on Climate Change andto formulate and implement a National Climate Change Action Plan (see DENR website).Future challengesThe contribution of the transport sector to the worsening air pollution requires immediateaction and poses an increasing threat to the health of the city dwellers. Unsustainable urbanizationhad led to growing traffic congestions necessitating transport planning and management [DENR,2009].Among the challenges facing the Philippines in improving air quality in Metro Manila are: 1)the lack of trained technical personnel, particularly in regulatory agencies; and 2) the difficulty offostering a culture that can address the complex social, organizational, scientific, and engineeringissues involved in improving air quality amid a scarcity of financial resources. The implementation ofexisting regulations is thus rendered extremely difficult without adequate monitoring andgovernment oversight and enforcement. Complex and overambitious programmes are not likely towork under these circumstances. Rather, a step-wise approach with realistic goals is more likely tosucceed, especially if it is aimed at increasing capacity within the research, educational, industrial,policy, and regulatory sectors in the Philippines.3.9 OSAKA, JAPANIntroductionOsaka is located in south-central Japan (Osaka Prefectural Government: 34.67°N,135.53°E). The population of Osaka Prefecture was about 8.8 million, and the population of theKansai area (Osaka Prefecture and the five surrounding prefectures) was about 22.7 million in 2008(Figure 34).Because the Osaka Plain is narrower than the Kanto Plain and is surrounded by mountains,the geographically complex distribution of urban areas, mountains, and sea plays an important rolein local atmospheric circulation [Ohashi and Kida, 2001]. In summer, sea breezes blow from OsakaBay to the Kyoto basin (southern part of Kyoto Prefecture) and the Nara basin (northern part ofNara Prefecture) until late afternoon.104