Developing Screening for High Emission Reduction Potentials on Air Quality (SHERPA) tool for air quality management in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

About the workshop

We are organising a stakeholder consultation workshop to introduce and discuss the Screening for High Emission Reduction Potentials on Air Quality (SHERPA) tool, in accordance with the discussions from the second regional science-policy dialogue on air quality management, and the technical committee meeting of the science-policy-finance dialogue on air quality management. The workshop will emphasise SHERPA’s significance for the Hindu-Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, identify regional knowledge partners, and explore opportunities for its integration with national and regional action plans.

The consultation seeks to enhance collaborations among governments, researchers, and technical organisations for SHERPA’s successful implementation in promoting clean air policies throughout the HKH region.

This event is part of Action Area: Air, under the Strategic Group: Climate and Environmental Risks. It is delivered through the Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), supported by the United Kingdom International Development. It will serve as a foundation for inclusive and evidence-based air quality governance in Nepal by facilitating dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

Objectives 

The specific objectives of this workshop are to:

• Introduce the SHERPA tool and its applications in air quality management.
• Demonstrate SHERPA’s potential for supporting clean air policies in the HKH.
• Identify and capacitate regional knowledge partners to support the regional and sub-regional governments for the use of the SHERPA tool.
• Explore opportunities for integration with National Action Plans on air pollution.
• Build partnerships among policymakers, researchers, and technical agencies for SHERPA uptake.

Expected outcomes

• Increased awareness of SHERPA as a decision-support tool for clean air management in the HKH.
• Identify the acceptance of SHERPA as a potential decision support tool by ICIMOD’s Regional Member Countries (RMC).
• Training and capacity-building needs for SHERPA implementation.
• Strengthened collaboration among stakeholders, including policymakers, scientists, and regional knowledge partners.

Background

The HKH region is facing growing challenges from deteriorating air quality, which has far-reaching impacts on public health, ecosystems, climate, and sustainable development. Air quality management (AQM) requires tools that are scientifically robust, resource-efficient, and user-friendly to support evidence-based policy actions.

The SHERPA tool, developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), is a meta-model of chemical transport models (CTMs). It provides a rapid and interactive approach to assessing the impacts of emission reduction measures at national, regional, and local levels and supports policymakers and technical experts in designing and evaluating air quality plans.

Unlike air quality models, which are resource and time-intensive, SHERPA offers interactive and user-friendly features and insights into how different policy measures and emission reduction strategies can improve air quality. The workshop aims to improve our understanding of the necessity of SHERPA in the HKH.