Opinion: Thailand fails the COP26 test despite having much to lose from climate change

[webfact]

 

By Mark S Cogan

 

Last Monday, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, at the United Nations Global Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland told the assembled crowd that climate change is the “gravest challenge of our time” and highlighted that Thailand was one of the countries most vulnerable to its effects. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Thailand ranks ninth globally in terms of countries affected by climate change-related extreme weather events. 

 

“Time is running out and we can no longer afford to be complacent in combating climate change for it means the end of the world as we know it,” Prayut noted. 

 

Within hours of Prayut’s speech, 128 countries, including Southeast Asian neighbors Indonesia and Vietnam signed the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forest and Land Use, which aims to halt deforestation by 2030. The Declaration hopes to develop more sustainable forms of trade, easing pressure on forests, while supporting small-scale farmers. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/34852/opinion-thailand-fails-the-cop26-test-despite-having-much-to-lose-from-climate-change/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2021-11-10

 

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[ikke1959]

And that for a country with a no-fail policy....

[Gottfrid]

Yeah, good boy! Go out in the big world and make promises as well as crying over that Thailand has so much to lose regarding climate change. After that go back to a country where all from parents can´t teach their children to throw garbage in designated places to corrupt officials taking bribes from big companies that do not follow environmental protection rules. That´s like an Easter bunny all out of eggs!

[Gottfrid]

46 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

And that for a country with a no-fail policy....

It´s all in the eye of the beholder.

[mikebell]

Offer a Thai 100 baht today or 500 at the weekend.  It would always be now, now.  Thailand has no concept of the future & will suffer/is suffering alarming changes to its climate but Prayuth will continue deforestation.

[darksidedog]

Thailand has forever said things that were politically expedient, while either doing nothing in practice, or worse ignoring the reality under their noses. Maybe when Bangkok has sunk beneath the waves they will wake up that they have a problem.

[daveAustin]

He went there to get his mug on the world stage. He’s an old man and will be dead before the heat and water hit in earnest, as will most of the dinosaurs whose decisions/inaction are wrecking the world. A waste of space. 

[KhunLA]

I have more respect for someone who won't sign something he knows he can't abide by, than one who signs, then ignores it.

 

Cities expand & populations grow and have to be fed.  Get over it

Edited November 10, 2021 by KhunLA

[RichardColeman]

Course the PM won't act on climate, he's probably got his fingers in lots of building companies now for a new Venice style bangkok or bought up some hilly land where he will suggest moving bangkok to and offer the land at an extreme price

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Within hours of Prayut’s speech, 128 countries, including Southeast Asian neighbors Indonesia and Vietnam signed the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forest and Land Use, which aims to halt deforestation by 2030. The Declaration hopes to develop more sustainable forms of trade, easing pressure on forests, while supporting small-scale farmers. 

Which Prayut declined to sign?

[jchfriis]

39 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Which Prayut declined to sign?

He did indeed.

From the article referred to in the OP:

 

"While it would seem that the Glasgow deforestation pledge would have been inline with expressed or espoused military interests, Thailand under Prayut refused to sign. A reasonable answer is difficult to find."

[mark131v]

Hub of hypocrites!

 

At least he had his moment in the spotlight and got to play with some of the big boys...

[xtrnuno41]

You find graphs, relation between growth of human population versus CO2 emissions.

Guess what it is following each other. A logical conclusion would be then to limit growth of population.

No , they want reduction in only CO2. However stop with making babies for a year and line will drop then?

Of course this is what you cant say, it is in violation with the so many rules we create, as top of the chain.

But we do so when it comes to all other things, as we are top of the chain.

We , for instance have dears and wild horses here and if the population is getting to big. We shoot them.

Or is population somehow controlled with not helping and letting people die? Or is the virus invention set in?

However there are too many people on the world.

Or will nature step in eventually and take care of it? And we still trying to control nature.

Or humans will take care of it and slaughter each other?

You ve seen the movie, 10 billion called ( i believe the title was)  from National Geographic?

Or will we come to an end by inventing the AGI? Then you could have the "Terminator" scene in real.

Maybe not with a terminator as hero , but an AGI as god. 

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

The  funniest thing is  all the euro  nations will  go  hell  bent for this making them uncompetitive in virtually everything, meanwhile  Asia  will ignore  all or  agree  but have such lax  enforcement its "  carry  on as usual" for them.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Rampant Rabbit

[Venom]

And the field burning season has only just begun ????????

[cardinalblue]

Are they really going to burn this year?

[Soikhaonoiken]

14 hours ago, mikebell said:

Offer a Thai 100 baht today or 500 at the weekend.  It would always be now, now.  Thailand has no concept of the future & will suffer/is suffering alarming changes to its climate but Prayuth will continue deforestation.

Totally Agree, most Thais live for today, and don't ever think about tomorrow.... 

[bangon04]

9 hours ago, mark131v said:

Hub of hypocrites!

 

At least he had his moment in the spotlight and got to play with some of the big boys...

COP26 is a festival of hypocrisy. Prayut is only one of the small fish...  If Brazil, Russia, India and China are not playing seriously there is really no hope.

The well-meaning western liberals can posture all they want. We are not even allowed to talk about the biggest threat - overpopulation. When we reach 9 billion there will be no water, food so it will not matter how many solar panels are installed in Finland.....

The keynote speaker - Prince Charles - is one of the biggest hypocrites - his family is one of the biggest landowners, and he does very little other than "blah blah blah" (to quote a climate expert)

[nobodysfriend]

On 11/10/2021 at 7:20 AM, webfact said:

“Time is running out and we can no longer afford to be complacent in combating climate change for it means the end of the world as we know it,” Prayut noted. 

Greta put it right , Like it or not .

Just ' declarations of intent ' , the usual blabla ...

 

14 hours ago, xtrnuno41 said:

Or will nature step in eventually and take care of it?

Yes , It does it now already .

 

There still are a few possible scenarios for the future .

That is a good thing , as it means that we ( as a species ) , still have a choice . and a chance to change something .

May be a change for the better is too late already , but limiting the effects of climate change would still be possible if there were immediate action .

But there is not enough action as the politicians and bureaucrats need to find a consensus ... but drunk of their ' self importance ' , they just do what they have done before ... nothing but cheap talk , not enough action .

If it stays like this ( and it probably will ) , the choices will become more limited until a point is reached where the environmental conditions become so bad that there will be no other choice than to act .

But at this time , irreversible damage will be done .

 

[xtrnuno41]

9 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Greta put it right , Like it or not .

Just ' declarations of intent ' , the usual blabla ...

 

Yes , It does it now already .

 

There still are a few possible scenarios for the future .

That is a good thing , as it means that we ( as a species ) , still have a choice . and a chance to change something .

May be a change for the better is too late already , but limiting the effects of climate change would still be possible if there were immediate action .

But there is not enough action as the politicians and bureaucrats need to find a consensus ... but drunk of their ' self importance ' , they just do what they have done before ... nothing but cheap talk , not enough action .

If it stays like this ( and it probably will ) , the choices will become more limited until a point is reached where the environmental conditions become so bad that there will be no other choice than to act .

But at this time , irreversible damage will be done .

 

Well you are right and i do know nature is already stepping in, in many ways.

As species we have the choice, again i agree. But main thing which is just above us, is ...money.

Now a rich guy is making rockets and want to do 3 rockets/month, only for rich people to have a look in space.

There we go again, enough fuel is burned to have 100 cars drive for a year and that is just one rocket.

 

We change ocean currents not only by CO2, but as wel with donating 5000000 TONS of plastic , every year.

That must be governments, mob like companies, or combination of it doing so.

Not any government makes a statement or do something about that. Some wining and thats it.

Other people more concerned are working on it now, but still there is no stop in renewed donations.

As long as capitalisme system is running, we will continu.

 

With all leaders of the world, we just keep on going the wrong way. As you said drunk of their self importance.

They run in the system getting themselves in better positions and squeeze the "normal" people.

They are rich and getting rich by implemented systems for them and misuse of the rest of the population of the world.

They are collateral damage.

All leaders in past, now and future will continue the status. Set world system.

It is weird that with every change in "leader", it becomes again a mess. They change.

 

Once you had one Hitler trying to conquer the world, Now you have millions of them for their own gain.

That is how humans are, we are clever, but at the same time very selfish, arrogant, stupid and a crying shame.

It is waiting for the world to explode and "normal" people will react. I can see such a scenario as shown in the movie of 

National Geographic. SO im still for reduction of human kind by not having babies anymore for at least a year.

Hahaha , wil not happen, or...? Ok they did in China, one kid policy, but guess you have to do it world wide.

When i was in primary school, there were 3 billion people, now there are 8 billion. 

So 10 billion, im able to live that, see what is happening, if the movie becomes a reality.

 

[rickudon]

And in the same week, a forest officer in Thailand famous for catching illegal loggers was moved to an inactive post. Obviously some of the loggers were better connected than he was........

[Stargeezr]

Considering that Russia, China, and India will not be making any big changes in

their policies, even if they say that they will, should be the wake up to the

real world that we live in.  There may be some more solar and wind power

development, for secondary power sources, but in the northern countries where

the Winter means,  cold snowy weather with limited sunshine, or guaranteed winds, the 

only sure means for power is either, Coal, Natural gas, Oil, Hydro dams where the

rivers flow year round or Nuclear power.  In the North as well in these long Winters,

those new fancy electric cars and trucks will not get their lab rated mileage because of 

the heat needed to keep people warm and the frost off the windshields, or wind screens.

  How many places in the world are really ready for all the electric vehicles anyway. Have any of you 

seen tons of places with hundreds of high speed chargers in place?  Anywhere?

  I guess people had better work from home a lot more. I am too old to be green blind.

Geezer

[xtrnuno41]

On 11/14/2021 at 2:37 AM, Stargeezr said:

Considering that Russia, China, and India will not be making any big changes in

their policies, even if they say that they will, should be the wake up to the

real world that we live in.  There may be some more solar and wind power

development, for secondary power sources, but in the northern countries where

the Winter means,  cold snowy weather with limited sunshine, or guaranteed winds, the 

only sure means for power is either, Coal, Natural gas, Oil, Hydro dams where the

rivers flow year round or Nuclear power.  In the North as well in these long Winters,

those new fancy electric cars and trucks will not get their lab rated mileage because of 

the heat needed to keep people warm and the frost off the windshields, or wind screens.

  How many places in the world are really ready for all the electric vehicles anyway. Have any of you 

seen tons of places with hundreds of high speed chargers in place?  Anywhere?

  I guess people had better work from home a lot more. I am too old to be green blind.

Geezer

The climate bla bla bla in Glasgow already brought the "surprise", China and India will not cut back in coal.

And i think to myself, what  an wonderful world, o yeaaaaaaah.