File photo for reference only

 

Thailand confronts severe climate challenges as storms, floods, heatwaves, and droughts become frequent. The “From Climate Change to Disaster” panel at Sustainability Expo 2025 emphasized that these phenomena are now fundamental issues needing urgent address. Experts from various fields discussed how the country’s vulnerabilities are leading to widespread impacts.

 

Thailand ranks ninth on the Global Climate Risk Index, with its extensive coastline making it highly susceptible to climate extremes. Pavich Kasavawong from the Department of Climate Change and Environment highlighted the potential economic fallout, referencing the 2011 floods that cost 1.44 trillion baht and disrupted industry and global supply chains significantly.

 

Global temperatures have risen by 1.75°C since the Industrial Revolution, nearing the critical 2°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement. Prof. Dr. Pisut Painmanakul from BiOST warned of cascading crises, where events like wildfires exacerbate warming by releasing greenhouse gases. He noted California's wildfires once emitted carbon equal to the annual emissions of both Thailand and the UK. The risk of melting permafrost releasing ancient pathogens was also cited.

 

Unchecked warming could lead sea levels to rise significantly by 2050, imperiling Bangkok and Samut Prakan. As these areas are just 1.5 meters above sea level, millions face displacement. The World Bank lists Bangkok among the top 10 cities most at risk for climate-related flooding, underscoring the urgent need for action.

 

Experts stress the importance of improving climate literacy to ensure widespread understanding of climate impacts. Prof. Dr. Pisut suggests that everyone, including street vendors, needs this awareness. Ganigar Chen of the National Science Museum emphasized the link between climate issues and food security, noting decreased yields in northern Thailand due to rainfall decline and reduced pollination.

 

Thailand spends hundreds of billions of baht annually on disaster compensation but lacks in preventative investment. Experts recommend reallocating funds towards innovation, sustainable urban planning, and nature-based solutions to mitigate losses and enhance resilience for the future.

 

Key Takeaways

• Thailand’s climate risks lead to severe economic and societal impacts.
• Future warming could significantly raise sea levels, endangering major cities.
• Experts advocate for improved climate literacy and strategic investment.

 

Related Stories

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Bangkok Braces as Northern Floodwaters Surge Threatens City

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Thai PBS 2025-10-02

 

 

Experts recommend reallocating funds towards innovation their pockets

Whyn worry?? Thailand is still building houses/resorts near the seaside,,,Doesn't invest in electric vehicles, doesn't care about outdated cars and black smoke and doesn't stimulate to walk more instead of using the motorcycle for short distances..Climate is changing we all know, surely when after the rainy season the not-cold-anymore-season is coming, but Thailand lives on as ever, with wildfires in the morning which gives airpollution, doesn't stimulate the public to use solarpanels as energysource for their house, and even doesn't relocate the capital, which will years to built a new one, untill the water is at the doorsteps...Even so for the airport, which is located at a swamp, and will be surely affected, but no invest in more and new, knowing that probably in a few years the whole airport will be unusable. A lack of view for Thailand  as we all know, everything is done at the very last moment, but this time it will be too late

32 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Whyn worry?? Thailand is still building houses/resorts near the seaside,,,Doesn't invest in electric vehicles, doesn't care about outdated cars and black smoke and doesn't stimulate to walk more instead of using the motorcycle for short distances..Climate is changing we all know, surely when after the rainy season the not-cold-anymore-season is coming, but Thailand lives on as ever, with wildfires in the morning which gives airpollution, doesn't stimulate the public to use solarpanels as energysource for their house, and even doesn't relocate the capital, which will years to built a new one, untill the water is at the doorsteps...Even so for the airport, which is located at a swamp, and will be surely affected, but no invest in more and new, knowing that probably in a few years the whole airport will be unusable. A lack of view for Thailand  as we all know, everything is done at the very last moment, but this time it will be too late

Climate changes, nothing we can do about it, no point in destroying our civilization to try and stop the unstoppable. 

 

Sea levels rising, complete nonsense .......

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand confronts severe climate challenges as storms, floods, heatwaves, and droughts become frequent. The “From Climate Change to Disaster” panel at Sustainability Expo 2025 emphasized that these phenomena are now fundamental issues needing urgent address. Experts from various fields discussed how the country’s vulnerabilities are leading to widespread impacts.

Experts... 

So ignorant are those of us who refuse to learn history and the lessons from history, including climate and environmental history.

In other news, Thailand celebrates it's weather modification program....

4 minutes ago, JimHuaHin said:

So ignorant are those of us who refuse to learn history and the lessons from history, including climate and environmental history.

Little to be gained from studying environmental history, as, just like commodities, past performance is not indicative of the future

I don't believe a word from these self appointed "ex-spurts"

I'd be more worried about the Philipines or Vietnam.

 

When is the last time Thailand got hit with a hurricane ?

The climate is going to do as it pleases as it has been for millennia.

Four ice ages documented. I guess there were people saying nonesense at the time. If the Thai government did anything, it will be too late.

There are many peer reviewed studies that show weather events have not changed, but media doesn't like that so cover the doomsday crew who form part of this climate change industry. Even UNIPPC do not bang away about weather events, saying "low probability" that CC has impacted extreme events, which history shows have been happening for eons. 

The Barrier Reef has been "dying" for over 40 years, but keeps on adapting to cyclical conditions. Always has, that's history. These people are becoming more shrill and less relevant as time goes on. 

Let's mitigate sensibly, clean up the planet but not kill the economy on reckless CC toys - other than nukes which strangely enough most lefty CC alarmists won't embrace. Amazing. 

3 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Whyn worry?? Thailand is still building houses/resorts near the seaside,,,Doesn't invest in electric vehicles, doesn't care about outdated cars and black smoke and doesn't stimulate to walk more instead of using the motorcycle for short distances..Climate is changing we all know, surely when after the rainy season the not-cold-anymore-season is coming, but Thailand lives on as ever, with wildfires in the morning which gives airpollution, doesn't stimulate the public to use solarpanels as energysource for their house, and even doesn't relocate the capital, which will years to built a new one, untill the water is at the doorsteps...Even so for the airport, which is located at a swamp, and will be surely affected, but no invest in more and new, knowing that probably in a few years the whole airport will be unusable. A lack of view for Thailand  as we all know, everything is done at the very last moment, but this time it will be too late

I found a picture of thier"Poster Boy" 

1 hour ago, Donga said:

There are many peer reviewed studies that show weather events have not changed, but media doesn't like that so cover the doomsday crew who form part of this climate change industry. Even UNIPPC do not bang away about weather events, saying "low probability" that CC has impacted extreme events, which history shows have been happening for eons. 

The Barrier Reef has been "dying" for over 40 years, but keeps on adapting to cyclical conditions. Always has, that's history. These people are becoming more shrill and less relevant as time goes on. 

Let's mitigate sensibly, clean up the planet but not kill the economy on reckless CC toys - other than nukes which strangely enough most lefty CC alarmists won't embrace. Amazing. 

Provide evidence for your assertions.

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Climate changes, nothing we can do about it, no point in destroying our civilization to try and stop the unstoppable. 

 

Sea levels rising, complete nonsense .......

Just another lunatic refusing to believe millions of tons of gasses released by burning ancient stores of energy won't have any effect. Utterly ridiculous. Don't want inconvenience so it's not happening.

3 hours ago, novacova said:

The climate is going to do as it pleases as it has been for millennia.

Not since humanity became a serious threat to it, no. There haven't been billions of us for millennia as I'm sure you must be aware.

8 minutes ago, Katatonica said:

Just another lunatic refusing to believe millions of tons of gasses released by burning ancient stores of energy won't have any effect. Utterly ridiculous. Don't want inconvenience so it's not happening.

Sea levels seem pretty constant to me over the past 100 years.

Obviously before photographs, it would be hard to tell.

 

If you think climate change can be controlled, what do you personally do in an attempt to stop it?

I've converted my home to off-grid solar, and charge my own EV car and EV bike from my solar.

 

But I'm a lunatic, while you're a hypocrite!

Meanwhile, looking on the bright side, I guess that, for those of us who survive The Great Flood of 2048, at least the baht will fall.

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Climate changes, nothing we can do about it, no point in destroying our civilization to try and stop the unstoppable. 

 

Sea levels rising, complete nonsense .......

yes sure.....you can ignore what is happening but that is for you... but I agree with you it is already irreversible...The global warming and climate change will go on no matter what we are doing.. also because of greater activity of our star. Mankind has destroyed themselves

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Whyn worry?? Thailand is still building houses/resorts near the seaside,,,Doesn't invest in electric vehicles, doesn't care about outdated cars and black smoke and doesn't stimulate to walk more instead of using the motorcycle for short distances..Climate is changing we all know, surely when after the rainy season the not-cold-anymore-season is coming, but Thailand lives on as ever, with wildfires in the morning which gives airpollution, doesn't stimulate the public to use solarpanels as energysource for their house, and even doesn't relocate the capital, which will years to built a new one, untill the water is at the doorsteps...Even so for the airport, which is located at a swamp, and will be surely affected, but no invest in more and new, knowing that probably in a few years the whole airport will be unusable. A lack of view for Thailand  as we all know, everything is done at the very last moment, but this time it will be too late

That's the biggest rant of codswallop that I have heard since Al Gore years ago  We should all have been cooked or drowned by now according to him as he flew around and around the world in his private jet.

Only US billionaires will benefit from climate change. Until the bunker floods, anyway.

 

Watch Fallout...

I'm hedging my bets. Just booked my flight into Suwanabhumi next year with this airline....

 

surely this can't be true Trump said there is no such thing as global warning, it's a wonderful day drill drill drill...

A lot of the flooding can probably be stopped. Why not ask the experts and no I don't mean the occupants of a bar in Pattaya, I mean the Dutch. They live below sea level but have no flooding.

What a load of rubbish, no such thing as global warming. Scientists have proved the planet has been warmer and also been colder. It's called Mother Nature live with it, and stop conning mankind to line Government pockets 

6 hours ago, Katatonica said:

Just another lunatic refusing to believe millions of tons of gasses released by burning ancient stores of energy won't have any effect. Utterly ridiculous. Don't want inconvenience so it's not happening.

It will never "be happening" until China, India, Russia and most of South America get on board, Even if every person in the rest of the world went back to a stone age  type of existence nothing would change or improve at all.   

So go and project your Thunberg type angst at the countries causing   the so called problem and stop trying to  vilify those here who's contribution is miniscule .  Go and whinge about this in China and let us know how you get on

The developed western countries spending billions, that they don't have, trying to reduce their 0.5% of carbon emissions, purely to placate a load of unwashed tree huggers, is the most ridiculous and obscene display of virtue signalling I have ever seen and the discomfort and death it is responsible for is immeasurable

And lets find out where all the money is actually going as well

7 hours ago, Katatonica said:

Not since humanity became a serious threat to it, no. There haven't been billions of us for millennia as I'm sure you must be aware.

Stop using planes then. 

6 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

A lot of the flooding can probably be stopped. Why not ask the experts and no I don't mean the occupants of a bar in Pattaya, I mean the Dutch. They live below sea level but have no flooding.

They did about 30 years ago. Dutch refused brown envelopes so nothing ever happened.

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Sea levels seem pretty constant to me over the past 100 years.

Obviously before photographs, it would be hard to tell.

 

If you think climate change can be controlled, what do you personally do in an attempt to stop it?

I've converted my home to off-grid solar, and charge my own EV car and EV bike from my solar.

 

But I'm a lunatic, while you're a hypocrite!

No you are just tight with money.

4 hours ago, Toby1947 said:

What a load of rubbish, no such thing as global warming. Scientists have proved the planet has been warmer and also been colder. It's called Mother Nature live with it, and stop conning mankind to line Government pockets 

Of course it’s a cycle we have no control over it.

Why did we find fossilized ferns, palms and other tropical plants in the arctic? 

It’s time to legislate the volcanic eruptions in order to control the spew of ashes around the world.

Maybe we should send Greta to tell the Etna, the Ngorongoro and other active volcanoes “How dare you erupt”.