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Call for Papers: PIER Research Workshop 2025
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19 May 2021
20211621382400000

Thailand’s Sustainable Green Growth: Embedding Resilience

Zoom

Schedule

9:00
Welcoming Remarks
by
Mathee Supapongse
Bank of Thailand
Opening Remarks
by
Gita Sabharwal
United Nations
Setting up the context
Moderator: Krislert Samphantharak (Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research)
9:15
Global Developments in Sustainable Growth — What are the Lessons for Thailand and How Can We Ensure Long-term Sustainability?
Presentation
Authors
Sweta Saxena
UNESCAP
Katinka Weinberger
UNESCAP
Overview of Climate Change and Its Effect on Thailand & Thailand’s Existing Blueprint
Presentation
Author
Atsamon Limsakul
Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment
10:15Break
Current Approaches, Challenges, and the Way Forward
Moderator: Adis Israngkura (National Institute of Development Administration)
10:30
Achieving Net-zero Emissions: Thailand as a Sustainable Low Carbon Economy and Society
Presentation
Author
Pongvipa Lohsomboon
Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO)
Sectoral Challenges: Agriculture and Energy Sectors
Presentation
Author
Witsanu Attavanich
Kasetsart University
Impact of Climate Change on Water (In)security: Towards an Adaptive Water Management Policy
Presentation
Author
Nipon Poapongsakorn
Thailand Development Research Institute
Thailand Sustainable Green Growth in addressing Global Commitment: Lesson Learnt and the Way Forward
Presentation
Author
Waraporn Hirunwatsiri
World Bank
12:00Lunch break
Panel Discussion — From concept to implementation: Policy Tools and Financing a Green Growth Future
Moderator: Swisa Pongpech (Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research)
13:30
Key Issues in Sustainable Finance and How They Intersect with Economic Development.
Presentation
Author
Yuki Yasui
UNEP Finance Initiative
The Role of Incentives in Policy Design : A Case Study from Biodiversity Financing
Presentation
Author
Kanittha Tambunlertchai
Chulalongkorn University
Innovating for the Post-Covid World : Private Sector Perspectives
Presentation
Author
Thammasak Sethaudom
Siam Cement
15:30
Wrap up and Closing Remarks
by
Krislert Samphantharak
Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research

Summary

Thailand’s Sustainable Green Growth: Embedding Resilience

The policy forum was held online and was a closed-door forum amongst academia, policy makers, private sector representatives and experts in the field of climate change. Main discussion points from the event are summarized below.

Background

Green growth in context and why it matters

  • The pandemic has highlighted the importance of creating an enabling environment for sustainable economic growth as this provides not only new opportunities but is an important source of growth going forward.

    • Businesses today view climate change as a long-term threat. In a 2021 survey by Deloitte, 80 percent of businesses were concerned over climate change and have incorporated sustainability into their business plans. However, two thirds of respondents have cut back on sustainability plans due to the pandemic.
    • Increasing research, as that by the IMF, now view that public environmental spending has multiplier effects 2–7 times that of conventional multipliers, creating jobs and strengthening economies. ILO estimates that 24 million new jobs will be created by 2030 if the right policies are in place.
  • Post pandemic, it is important that countries give priorities to both the economy and the environment together. Data shows that environmental factors have not yet been sufficiently included into work plans and it is important to incorporate these concerns into fiscal policies, investments, and into packages that target poverty reduction and improve digital access.

  • Some actions that could increase the speed with which greenhouse gas emissions are reduced include 1) promotion of greener fuels vs fossil fuels 2) use of carbon pricing and carbon taxes 3) incentives or regulations to reduce emissions in industry, transport, and buildings 4) focus on more nature based solutions such as organic fertilizers and 5) work on inclusiveness

Climate Change in the context of Thailand

  • Thailand has a number of existing vulnerabilities which will be amplified by climate-related risks. Observations over the past forty years indicate that Thailand’s average temperature has risen 1˚C and is expected to rise another 2–4˚C by 2100 (Figure 1). There are also changes in precipitation patterns as rainfall and cyclone intensities have increased whilst there are periods of prolonged drought. In the past fifty years, the wet season has experienced more rainfall whilst more rainfall occurred during the dry season. Under RCP 8.51 it is estimated that by 2100 sea level will increase by approximately 1 meter. This will affect areas where roughly more than 10 percent of the population are living and puts Bangkok particularly at risk. The increased heat will also increase health and mortality effects especially for the elderly. This is especially of concern as Thailand has an aging population.
Figure 1: Observed/projected changes in temperatures over Thailand

image

Source: Ramkhamhaeng University - Center of Regional Climate Change and Renewable Energy (RU-CORE)
  • Economically, key sectors of the economy such as agriculture and energy will be impacted by climate change placing vulnerable households and SMEs at risk. Currently, 8 million households are in the agricultural sector and make up approximately 34.1 percent of the total labor force, yet only 26 percent of agricultural households have access to irrigation systems. Most are small holders and have low education.

  • To mitigate these climate risks, Thailand has undertaken a number of measures and established a National Climate Committee tasked to put in place the National Adaptation Plan, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions and NDC Mitigation Roadmap. Six key sectors have been identified and set with carbon emissions reduction targets of 20–25 percent by 2030. To date, Thailand has reduced emissions annually by 14–15 percent and are on track to achieving target carbon reductions. Currently, Thailand is working on the development of Long-term Low Emissions Development Strategy.

Key Discussion Points

  • At the forum the challenges of achieving sustainable green growth given the context of a developing country, such as Thailand, were discussed and issues regarding societal imbalances especially with SMEs and vulnerable groups were raised. Key challenges highlighted in the discussion are as follows:

    1. the lack of awareness and knowledge among the general population on the “tragedy of the horizon” where climate change effects are felt in the long-term yet result from actions undertaken today
    2. the lack of key infrastructures necessary for a green economy such as smart power grids that can handle unstable renewable energy supplies and water management infrastructure to cope with extreme precipitation
    3. insufficient research and innovation which could drive new green technology and improve the ability to accurately predict climate variability and understand the effects, and
    4. fragmented governance and policies.
  • The forum then discussed how best to bring forward these challenges and enable a just transition to a low carbon economy, highlighting how some private sector players had already taken important steps and committed to becoming a net zero carbon company. Several views were discussed and participants agreed on:

    1. The importance of designing policies that include a combination of financial and non-financial incentives. In turn, these policies would encourage greater involvement and awareness, enable the design of clear transition paths, properly allocate resources between relevant stakeholders as well as supporting research and developments in climate change technologies.
    2. The need to provide infrastructure to support green policies and activities. It was discussed that more investment was needed in physical infrastructure such as those for water transport and storage, smart electricity grids or carbon trading. To ensure that green activities are aligned, the importance of having clear policy and governance structures as well as regulations facilitating transitions was also highlighted. Lastly, discussants noted the importance of collaborative platforms between public and private sectors to design market based solutions as well as to ensure that policy and measures are implementable and achievable.

  1. RCP refers to Representative Concentration Pathways which project carbon emissions. RCP 8.5 is the concentration of carbon that delivers global warming at an average of 8.5 watts per square meter across the planet and is a high emissions scenario. Results estimate temperatures to increase by about 4.3 ˚C by 2100, relative to pre-industrial temperatures. ↩
Swisa Pongpech
Swisa Pongpech
University of Oxford
Yuki Yasui
Yuki Yasui
Speaker Biographies
The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.
Swisa Pongpech
Swisa Pongpech
University of Oxford
Yuki Yasui
Yuki Yasui

Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research

273 Samsen Rd, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200

Phone: 0-2283-6066

Email: pier@bot.or.th

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