Thai opinion: Can we really change our consumption habits?

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STREETWISE
Can we really change our consumption habits?
Achara Deboonme



BANGKOK: -- The Asian Development Bank's recent report "Energy Outlook for Asia and the Pacific" got little attention in the Thai media, even though its contents concerns all Thai citizens.

It's worrying to learn that Thailand's energy demand will rise from 84.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) in 2010 to 147.9 MTOE in 2035, at a time when the world should be alarmed at depleting resources. If Thailand's energy demand rises that much, how can we quench the thirst?

According to the report, by 2035, if we continue to use energy the way we do today, industry will account for 32.5 per cent of energy demand, followed by other sectors (including residential, commercial, agriculture and fisheries) at 27 per cent, transport at 21.9 per cent and non-energy use (mainly renewable) at 18.6 per cent.

The report points out that this structure is unlikely to change over the outlook period, although industry and other sectors will encroach slightly upon the share of the transport and non-energy sectors up to 2035.

It is beyond imagination what the ratio of annual energy imports will be. The figure now exceeds Bt1 trillion, or about 9 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). If we use energy at the same rate we do today, the import value could certainly more than double as our GDP grows.

It is also beyond imagination how Thais can reduce energy demand. In industry, more companies, especially Japanese, are moving some operations to Thailand. The upcoming Asean Economic Community (AEC) will only speed up the rate of that expansion.

Despite complaints about traffic congestion, many people still want their own car. They can't park their vehicles to hop on a public transport service.

Consumers fall prey to advertisements for new electrical products that tell everything about capacity but nothing about energy-saving features?

In all our cities, big retail brands are present, and even more outlets are planned. Millions of consumers spend weekends at air-conditioned shopping malls. It's become a part of our lives to shop and eat at malls. How many people are concerned about the carbon emissions associated with their consumption? Many people who have seen the documentary film "An Inconveneient Truth" were concerned and inspired, but afterwards most of them went on with their lives in the same way as before.

There are numerous campaigns across the world to convince people to change their consumption habits. One of them is the Environmental Media Association (EMA), a non-profit organisation dedicated to harnessing the power of the entertainment industry and the media to educate the global public on environmental issues and sustainable lifestyles. EMA Awards were initiated 23 years ago, to honour those in the media and entertainment who promote and convey environmental messages in the most creative and influential ways.

One of the winners this year is "Promised Land", a film starring Matt Damon, which examines "fracking" technology - a method for extracting oil from rock.

But will this help?

In its debut weekend, the film took in less than US$5 million. It was considered a flop. Damon, playing a man who promises a town prosperity if it accepts shale gas fracking, is anti-fracking. Should we watch him, bragging about the life-changing benefits of fracking?

The award for this film indicates how desperate the world is to find good causes to draw public participation in combating climate change.

Few of us realise that ocean temperatures are rising. Seventy-five metres down, the temperature has risen by 0.1 degree Celcius over the past 40 years.

How many of us know that the oceans cover seven-tenths of the Earth's surface and that they are a "sink" that has absorbed 90 per cent of the extra warming over the past four decades? How many people know that changes in ocean temperature help quicken the pace of the El Nino and La Nina weather phenomena, which result in extremes of drought and rain?

These things are beyond the understanding of many consumers.

In Thailand we suffered from the 2011 floods and many in the eastern provinces have suffered the same again this year. But it seems that people will continue to live their lives in the usual way, and companies will operate on a business-as-usual basis. People will agree to pay more for what they want, regardless of impact. As sales grow, companies will be able to afford the higher price of energy.

In the face of all this, more reports, like that of the ADB, are necessary, as a form of reckoning.


-- The Nation 2013-10-29

[yooper2001]

DUH! Do you think maybe putting 1,000,000 first time car buyers on the already crowed roads might have a impact on consumption?

[Thai at Heart]

It's beyond imagination how utterly banal this article really is.

How many of us know that sea water is warming? This guy is really up with the times huh? It's beyond understanding? Can he be any more patronising?

Edited October 29, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[A1Str8]

It has to be controlled. But I don't think it has occured to them.

[Tatsujin]

I give up.

[MaxLee]

Thailand will face more than just floods, .... Thailand may run out of energy and then "oops, we didn't know", that's what you get for borrowing energy from other countries and giving nothing in return...

[DocN]

Maybe pumping the streets full of cars,with each one containing one person would also be a concept to work on...maybe...

[jaltsc]

"Despite complaints about traffic congestion, many people still want their own car. They can't park their vehicles to hop on a public transport service."

With the earth's reserves of petroleum being depleted, those who can afford to drive autos in Thailand will be perceived as having much face. This will only add to number of vehicles on the roads, and thus the amount of petroleum utilized. The concept of conservation is no match for the belief that "face" is the most important 'commodity' in life. As petrol becomes more expensive, more people will forgo other necessities in order to operate their motor vehicles and thus be perceived as being important.

[hellodolly]

An unbelievable article followed by people using the same logic.

Every one is basically saying science is at it's peak there is nothing more to discover. Things will be the same in 2035 as they are in 2013.

Fortunately the world has many people who disagree with that idea and are working on ways around it. They have recently developed better wind turbines and solar power cells. Do you people think we will run out of wind and sun shine in 22 years? They have Geo Thermal power tidal power. and who knows the improvements they will make on these energy sources in the next 22 years. Much less maybe develop fusion power.

Don't be a quitter Science is working on solutions and they will develop the existing ones to be better in the next 22 years.

The article was a loser article don't let it drag you down.

[gemini81]

did this guy pull an some old thoughts off the shelf from a while back, and just decide to publish it? The 2011 flood? Hey, what about the Oct. 2013 one?

We've had solutions for petrol for a long time- but the big corporations and powerful want some return on their investment & profit; so most are reduced to burning up fuel in this form. Another thing is that big business is polluting the planet far worse than the carbon footprint per-person.

If I'm out a career, maybe I'll apply to write meandering, low demanding articles for Thai press- ought to be some easy income so to speak.

Edited October 29, 2013 by gemini81

[klubex99]

I hate these sort of reports.... They assume that renewable energy usage will not increase when in fact it is on a constant increase as attitudes are proven to be evidently changing.

Just your normal 'alarmist reporting'. ... worthless.