Green-growth strategy has a slow birth: Thailand

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BURNING ISSUE
Green-growth strategy has a slow birth
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- To deal with the impact of climate change and global warming, Thailand has set up a sustainable development committee to oversee the country's progress and strategy based on green growth. In the eyes of environmentalists, the next step is to see how the government will balance this economic growth, competitiveness and green development.

"These three key pillars of development will be a major challenge for the government to go ahead with its plan to implement real green growth," Bantoon Setsirote, a director of the Good Governance for Social Development and the Environment Institute (GSEI) said.

This committee was set up a year after the biggest United Nations conference on sustainable development - "RIO+20" - which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. This conference focused on the sustainable development of each country and the need for a balance between economic growth, strengthened competitiveness, and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Following this conference, Thailand has a lot of homework to do, such as: reviewing the country's development direction; defining green growth in a way that harmonises with Thai society, and building an understanding of the concept among Thais; establishing the policy, strategy, and economic tools that enhance green development; promoting green production and consumption; and improving the organisation and the operation mechanism that will smoothly drive the implementation of a green-growth policy.

At the end of January, the Thai government announced a policy to drive the country's economic development based on this green strategy. The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry was tasked with overseeing the green strategy. Its final draft will be handed to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to give her the green light for the plan.

Under this green strategic plan, an environmental and carbon tax will be the key financial mechanism to make country's development greener and more sustainable, Bantoon said.

Meanwhile, the Industry Ministry has been appointed to create a green gross domestic product (GPD) scale to measure the country's sustainable development. The existence of natural resources will be a key index in examining progress of the country's green growth.

Apart from establishing the country's green strategy, a special committee has been set up to oversee the direction of economic growth and the nation's development. This committee will be chaired by Yingluck - but Bantoon said it has not yet held any meetings since being established in May.

"It will be very difficult for the government to implement this strategy as it has to balance between green development, the country's competitiveness, and inclusive growth - including economic growth and social development," he said.

When looking back at existing mechanisms to make the country greener - such as the clean development mechanism (CDM) - Bantoon said few business sectors had joined this attempt to reduce carbon emission.

"[The main reason] is each country could not come up with an exact figure for carbon reduction," Bantoon said.

According to the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation (TGO), to date, 221 CDM projects have been submitted as part of the world's attempt to reduce carbon emissions. These projects are expected to eliminate 12,710,309 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

To draw more business sector attention, TGO last month launched its campaign called "Carbon Offsetting" as a new cooperate social responsibility. This activity will promote carbon credit trading and reduction of greenhouse gases released from products, events, organisations and individuals.

The campaign will encourage people or organisations to buy carbon credit and reduce greenhouse gases from daily activities. The result would be strong enough for people to demonstrate their responsibility to society.


-- The Nation 2013-07-09

[ChrisY1]

Yingluck is the chair of the Green Committee.......but as expected, this is just another toothless PR stunt at attention.

Reduce Green House emissions??????what's that??

[jaltsc]

"...defining green growth in a way that harmonises with Thai society, and building an understanding of the concept among Thais;..."

Most of the negative environmental effects are not coming from large factories, but from local small entities. Thais spray anything planted with chemicals (before, during and after the planting), many of which are banned in the west, and burn anything that can be composted in addition to burning plastic and other toxic materials. It's no secret that all previous efforts to curb the creation of this pollution have failed since there have never been any laws created to meet these ends. All one has to do is looks at the air quality index during March and April in the northern provinces. I doubt the government will create any agency that will effectively enforce such measures if they are ever created since that would not "harmonise with Thai society".

As mentioned above, this is nothing more than a PR stunt to show that Thailand is a responsible nation, similar to the PR stunt banning smoking in public areas. Every restaurant has a sign forbidding smoking, with a 2000 THB fine for offenders. However, what do you see when someone lights up a cigarette? Not one of the workers pointing to the sign...Nope...Just someone placing an ashtray on the table. All that can be said about these types of charades is .

Edited July 9, 2013 by jaltsc

[Markaew]

With all the problems that Thailand has they are concerned about Green.

Solve some of your more pressing problems and then worry about your Green projects.

I don't think multitasking is Yingluck's strong suit.

[chainarong]

One marvels at the aptitude of resilience from this PTP Administration as they march forward to another ill-fated programme that's short on substance and big on talk, I would have thought after spending quiet a few hot months in Thailand, that the slash and burn policy was alive and well , to be green is to have strong laws within the country/ community , so that anyone who choose' to go outside those society guide lines, is dealt with the full force of that law,

[i claudius]

The slower the green con movement moves the better ,just a way to tax you more.

[tomross46]

BANGKOK: -- To deal with the impact of climate change and global warming, Thailand has set up a sustainable development committee to oversee the country's progress and strategy based on green growth. In the eyes of environmentalists, the next step is to see how the government will balance this economic growth, competitiveness and green development.

How many billions of Baht will be needed to line the pockets of corrupt politicians.

[jpeg]

The BP recently reported that some Thai students were luckily picked to join a sponsored a trip to Costa Rica to learn about environmental sustainability, along with students from many differing nationalities. One was asked 'And what have you learned'. 'How to say words in different languages and eat fire' he enthusiastically responded. The BP went on to lament the fact that funding for these types of trips was very low. With a straight face.

[bigbamboo]

Yingluck is the chair of the Green Committee.......but as expected, this is just another toothless PR stunt at attention.

Reduce Green House emissions??????what's that??

Yingluck seems to have more 'chairs' than shoes.

[Mampara]

The slower the green con movement moves the better ,just a way to tax you more.

Its not only slow but very painful too especially to the industry.

[gemini81]

Solve traffic jam problems first. Have police actually give a citation to vehicles with black exhaust.... Do it by not implementing policies with add more traffic and pollution, like 1st time car buyer.

Be green and eco friendly when you've got your basic priorities together.

Remember the pheua thai guy running for governor who wanted to insert some trees here & there on building tops? Haha.

[clockman]

Just talk! nothing changes.

[Ricardo]

Yingluck is the chair of the Green Committee.......but as expected, this is just another toothless PR stunt at attention.

Reduce Green House emissions??????what's that??

Easiest way to do it, build more houses with red/blue roofs, then their emissions are 'Red House' & 'Blue House', so don't count towards 'Green House emissions'.

Simple, innit !