Dr Elisabeth Rianawati presented at the Google Global Air Quality Summit 2024
The Google Global Air Quality Summit 2024 brought together global and local experts to discuss critical air quality issues, focusing on challenges in India and the Global South. The event aims to advance scientific understanding and foster collaboration to innovate monitoring, analysis, and intervention strategies to improve air quality. This summit convenes many stakeholders, including policymakers, urban planners, academic researchers, industry professionals, and sustainability-focused organisations. Speakers from various regions were invited to share evidence-based insights and propose innovative solutions to air quality. This year's summit addressed innovations in local air quality management and AI-powered modeling, hyperlocal case studies and their implications for livelihoods, and the utilisation of data-driven insights to inform policy and decision-making processes. To address the gap in data-driven policy in the Global South, Google launched the Air View+ project in India. Through this project, Google has been working with governments, research institutions, and startups in India to establish cost-effective, hyperlocal, scaled air quality monitoring using Google AI in over 150 cities. The programme has installed more than 820 air quality monitors, many in cities with little to no monitoring. In a short period, the programme has gathered a rich repository for developing predictive AI models to improve air quality.
Dr Elisabeth Rianawati presented at the Google Global Air Quality Summit 2024
As a global think tank dedicated to advancing resilience and sustainable development, Resilience Development Initiative (RDI) actively addresses environmental challenges including air quality and climate change issues. Dr Elisabeth Rianawati, Director of RDI, represented RDI on day 2 of the summit to speak on air quality management improvement in Indonesia. Brought "Citizen Action, Cleaner Air: How Climate Groups in Indonesia Are Driving National Change" topic, Dr Elisabeth shared how the mobilisation of communities by Indonesian climate action groups helped tackle air pollution by raising the issue to citizens. The case began when citizens expressed their concerns about the worsening air quality of Jakarta on social media. Following this, local and national governments quickly address the problem. Joko Widodo, the president at the moment, made efforts to improve Jakarta’s air quality through his directives. It includes modifying the weather, expanding green open spaces, implementing policies to reduce reliance on fossil-fueled vehicles, promoting a shift to public transportation, and monitoring the industrial and electrical sector that operates in and affects the Greater Jakarta area. This event is a strong example of advocacy for cleaner air, leveraging citizen mobilisation to influence national policies. RDI also had the opportunity to showcase its projects on air quality management in Indonesia, especially in supporting robust air quality monitoring to help data-driven policy making to improve air quality in Jakarta.
The Google Global Air Quality Summit 2024 reaffirmed the importance of uniting global expertise, innovative research, and learning from local case studies. The Indonesian case study shared by RDI highlighted how local voices can influence national policies. By bringing together diverse expertise and fostering collaborative dialogue, the summit reinforced the need for data-driven strategies and innovative solutions to create cleaner air for a more sustainable future.
