Been a while in LOS, three decades to be exact. Until some years ago you could stroll along any beach, I don't recollect feeling tempted to always walk with a waste bag in hand to collect all the rubbish washed up on beaches.
Until some years ago, I don't recollect having been warned about PM2.5. Of course there was the slash and burn season. Now? The air in the places we all know is so bad, you can clean the floor daily and you still have a dark fingertip when checking the floor.
Oh, and I prefer to stay in a beach town which was rather sleepy until a few years ago. Meanwhile, there was so much development, when schools are off in the afternoon there are Bangkok-like traffic jams. It's a wild building frenzy. Of course, infrastructure is not expanded. The authorities just informed there is not enough water, so tabs are closed each day after 10 a.m.
Oh and of course hardly anyone in decision power cares about the future. There is hardly any awareness about the environment. Kids throw away ice tea cups and snack packings, because... who cares.
And especially now, in this heat with ample clear skies and burning sun, the authorities still don't make it a priority to feed the power grid with solar power. Cheap electricity: Thailand could run on it, but the vested interests love coal.
At least tourism arrival numbers are reaching record levels again... Thais get upset with rage tourists who are not too "krieng jai"... Thailand has become all about short-term profits, with zero vision about a sustainable future.