The 2026 Better Air Quality Conference (BAQ 2026) opened on March 11 in Bangkok, Thailand. Prof. He Kebin, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Dean of the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Tsinghua University, led a delegation from the university to attend the conference and delivered a keynote address at the opening ceremony. Joining him were Prof. Zhang Qiang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor in the Department of Earth System Science at Tsinghua University, and Prof. Liu Huan, Professor at the School of Environment at Tsinghua University. Both Prof. Zhang and Prof. Liu, affiliated with the Joint Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction Research Center at the Institute for Carbon Neutrality, also delivered keynote speeches at the event.

At the opening ceremony, Prof. He Kebin presented a keynote speech titled "From Milestones to Momentum: Reflecting on PRC’s Clean Air Journey and Future Pathways." He highlighted China's achievements in air quality improvement, particularly the synergistic benefits driven by carbon neutrality pathways. Prof. He noted that under the guidance of three national clean air action plans, China has achieved a significant reduction in major air pollutant emissions and marked improvements in air quality over the past decade. He emphasized that human effort has been the primary driver, with the most effective measures including the upgrading of coal-fired boilers, the promotion of clean household fuels, and emission controls in industrial sectors such as steel, cement, and coking, as well as mobile sources.

Prof. He further pointed out that this year, China revised its "Ambient Air Quality Standards," tightening concentration limits for pollutants such as PM_2.5. These stricter standards present new challenges for cities to meet compliance requirements. He stressed the need to continuously strengthen the coordinated governance of pollution reduction and carbon mitigation and to scientifically plan pathways for achieving these standards in the future.

Professor He Kebin delivers a keynote speech at the BAQ 2026 opening ceremony.

During the parallel session "Asia Regional Exchange: Sharing City Best Practices on Clean Air Actions," Prof. Zhang Qiang delivered a keynote address titled "Effectiveness of China's Clean Air Actions in Addressing PM_2.5 Pollution." He introduced the series of clean air policies and measures China has implemented to combat PM_2.5 pollution, provided a quantitative assessment of actual emission reduction effects, and revealed the significant achievements and core experiences China has gained in improving regional air quality.

Professor Zhang Qiang delivers a keynote speech.

In the "Advancing Green Shipping in Asia: Solutions, Enablers, and Regional Pathways" session, Prof. Liu Huan presented a keynote speech titled "Shipping Emission Reduction Transformation under International Regulations and China's Policy Efforts." She analyzed the transformation requirements for shipping emission reductions within the framework of international regulations and China's policy landscape, explored technical pathways and implementation progress for decarbonizing the shipping sector, and outlined a future vision for green and low-carbon development in the maritime industry.

The 12th Better Air Quality Conference (BAQ 2026) is being held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 11 to 13, 2026. It is jointly organized by the Clean Air Asia (CAA), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Since its inception in 2002, the BAQ Conference has grown to become the most comprehensive and influential air quality conference in the Asian region.