Topic: 2025 – Impact of Climate Change on Air Quality
Country: Japan
Delegate Name: Kyra Valeros
United Nations Environment Programme
Impact of Climate Change on Air Quality
Japan
Kyra Valeros
Forest Hills Eastern
As the leading global authority on environmental issues, UNEP reminds us that the world now faces a triple planetary crisis driven by climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss (UNEP, Regulating Air Quality). Air pollution already contributes to more than eight million deaths each year, making it one of the most urgent public health challenges we face. For Japan, a country with a long history of addressing industrial pollution and adapting to changing weather patterns, these concerns feel immediate and personal. Rising temperatures influenced by human activity, as confirmed by the IPCC, continue to worsen air quality and create new risks for communities across East Asia.
Japan also understands that the decline in air quality is not just caused by large factories or power plants. In many parts of the world, farming practices like burning crop residue and the continued use of unsafe cooking fuels add huge amounts of smoke and pollutants to the atmosphere. UNEP and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition both point out that cleaner cooking technology and improved agricultural tools can deliver fast and affordable improvements. Japan has developed energy efficient stoves, clean fuel alternatives, and low emission farming methods and believes these tools should be shared widely through international cooperation.
The people most affected by climate related declines in air quality are often those with the fewest resources to respond. Small island states, low income neighborhoods, and countries without strong air quality laws are especially vulnerable. UNEP’s assessment of air pollution legislation shows that many nations still lack monitoring systems or basic protections. Japan believes that stronger economies have a responsibility to support these regions through funding, technology sharing, and long term adaptation planning. By focusing on realistic steps like improving legislation, expanding clean cooking access, and protecting vulnerable populations, Japan hopes this committee can make real progress toward cleaner air and a safer future for all.
