Abstract

Air pollution remains a critical environmental and public health challenge in Southeast Asia, responsible for millions of premature deaths globally and imposing trillions of dollars in health-related economic costs. To address this complex issue, Allen et al. (2025) adopted a participatory system dynamics modeling approach in two particularly affected provinces: Chiang Rai in Thailand and Vientiane in Laos. Participatory modeling is a useful approach for integrating local knowledge with scientific evidence, offering an effective tool for collective decision-making in addressing complex environmental and social challenges—especially in contexts where data availability is limited.