Green Awareness Improving In Thailand But Long Struggle Lies Ahead

[webfact]

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Green awareness improving but long struggle lies ahead

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Thailand's environmental awareness has improved over the past few years. The bad news is that the Kingdom still suffers from a lack of coordination between government and nongovernmental organisations in gathering data, raising public awareness and coping with nationalscale issues.

Hannarong Yaowalert, president of the Foundation for Integrated Water Management, said the environmental movement today wasn't very powerful due to a lack of government support.

Some environmentalists and activists have joined government bodies such as the National Human Rights Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman, he said.

Ten years ago, many environmental nongovernmentorganisations (NGOs) had teamed up to set up a national environmental network and try to force the government to tackle environmental problems. They were unpopular then, due to their criticism of the government, he said.

Today, this united force is gone. Many former members are working separately on issues proposed by themselves or financiers. They no longer work together in raising public awareness, he said.

A coordinator for the Public Network in the East, Suthi Atchasai, said environmental issues such as the health impact from industrial development did not concern many people because over the past few years the country had focused on economic development rather than qualityoflife development.

Moreover, the law on environmental violation and natural resources exploitation has not been enforced, he said.

To date, Thailand has no national data bank on environmental issues and natural resources to evaluate the health impact of industrial development or environmental change.

On the other hand, Prof Thongchai Panswad, former president of the Environmental Engineering Association and the Thailand Environment Institute, said people's behaviour towards the environment had improved over the past 30 years.

"Most of the young generation look for a rubbish bin before they throw trash away," he said.

Thirty years ago people were likely to throw it on the street, he said.

"People are well informed about how throwing trash on the road damages the environment," he said.

However, on some environmental issues, people were incorrectly and unscientifically informed about how to protect the environment, such as about reducing energy consumption.

"People are always told they should turn their air conditioner to over 25 degrees Celsius to save energy. In fact, they can simply use electric fans instead of turning on air conditioners," said Thongchai, who chairs a cycling club.

Many environmental campaigners do not build understanding among the public about the lifecycle of energy consumption, he said. They just use incomplete information to unscientifically inform the public and make mistakes that mislead the public about reducing energy consumption.

"We'll never reduce energy consumption if we still turn on air conditioners," he said.

Thongchai conducts cycling campaigns to raise public awareness about energy saving, especially in urban areas.

He said that to encourage cycling in urban areas it wasn't necessary to build facilities such as bicycle lanes on main roads. Small lanes over short distances are all that is needed. People are also advised to use bicycles in rural areas, he said.

All activists agree that public awareness is crucial because Thailand is facing grave problems, like the other nations marking World Environment Day.

According to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONREPP)'s 2010 Environmental Report, about 30 million rai are affected by soil degradation, while forested land has increased only 0.1 per cent. The amount of waste the country produces has increased to more than 15 million tonnes annually, of which only 5 million tonnes can be destroyed.

The report details how Thailand is suffering from degradation of soil resources and inequitable distribution of land. The ownership of land for agricultural purposes has drastically decreased.

Wetlands and peat swamp forests are being severely damaged, it said. Coralreef bleaching has been found in many areas, while many rare aquatic animals such as dolphins, sea turtles, whales and dugong were killed.

-- The Nation 2011-06-03

[sabye]

Pollution and land degredation are not just a Thai problem but a world problem. I see more recycling of plastics, cardboard and metals here than I saw in my home country. Thailand has made progress in the 13 years I have lived her but the attitudes of most Thais is to just throw the garbage on the ground. I live on an island in south Thailand and every time the wind blows on our shore our beach will get about 500 kilos of garbage per day washing up. It is a huge job to clean it up and I can understand why the locals just give up and leave it there.

We once had a group of government officials come and give a talk about cleaning up the beaches and recycling garbage. When it came time for lunch they served it on foam plates and used plastic cutlery and glasses. All of which went into our garbage dump. if the people at the top can't get it right how can you expect the uneducated people to learn and do it right.

We need LEADERS in this country not BOSSES

[engine1589]

Things will never change in this country when you get a plastic bag to hold your plastic bag. I have never seen anything like it. You buy one drink and they give you a plastic bag and three plastic straws and look at me like I am crazy when I don't take it...yet every Thai happily takes plastic bags for everything...not knowing or caring about what damage they are doing to the earth.

[khaowong1]

Oh yeah, bicycle lanes on main roads.. good luck if your the one riding the bicycle. You'll be joining the environment.

[puipuitom]

Thais ( and other S.E.Asians + Chinese ) + environment ?

Simply open your eyes and look.. the attitude to plastics. Everything what falls further as arm lenght, nobody takes care of. Water and air polution: everything what does not drop back in max two seconds on their head or dissolves their skin igignored.

The attitude to animals: no place on earth animals are treated worse as in this part of the world. They will kill the last tiger only for an afroditicum.

Earlier this part of the world will be covered by snow and ice.

[exbelg]

green awareness and thailand, this is a joke right... everyday i can see plumes of smoke of some <deleted> burning trash and poisining the air for everybody around, police do nothing

[aneliane]

Things will never change in this country when you get a plastic bag to hold your plastic bag. I have never seen anything like it. You buy one drink and they give you a plastic bag and three plastic straws and look at me like I am crazy when I don't take it...yet every Thai happily takes plastic bags for everything...not knowing or caring about what damage they are doing to the earth.

As westerners, we have been made aware of environmental issues for decades, it is therefore our duty to set example and just say "MAI SAI TONG" to any plastic bags, and no I have never been called / considered as crazy for refusing plastic bags.

[Misterwhisper]

As long as every 7-Eleven is still giving out teeny-weeny plastic bags for every single can of coke one buys and puts 3 or more unasked-for plastic straws into it, too (because we all love to drink softdrinks together with a bunch of buddies out of the same can), Thailand has a long way to go, indeed.

Oh, and have I mentioned the vacant plot behind my house that once was tropically green with banana trees, blooming vines, lots of high bush grass? Well, it is no longer as people have started to dump their household garbage there by the truckload in the middle of the night. Even the warning sign put up there by the district office that unloading garbage is strictly prohibited is no deterrent. The dump keeps growing and growing.

[mrjohnno]

What about the fuel used to go on a visa run? The idea of green is Thailand is a joke. Let people go to an immigration office for a stamp.

Edit for spelling.

Edited June 3, 2011 by mrjohnno

[swifty5x5]